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Autumn in the valley of Gourette

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Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Gourette is a winter sports resort in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes in the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the D918 road which passes through the Col d'Aubisque mountain pass. The closest air access is Pau Pyrénées Airport. In winter, the resort offers one of the largest skiable areas in the Pyrenean chain with 30 marked pistes, and extending between 1,400 and 2,400 meters in altitude, covering about 90 hectares of mostly north-facing slopes. The area also hosts snowboarding and snowshoe trails. In 2005 the region spent over 50 million euros to improve its winter resort facilities, including trails, lifts, accommodation and other infrastructure. In summer, tourists visit the valley of the Gave d'Ossau and its lakes for sightseeing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and mountaineering, including the ascent of Pic du Midi d'Ossau 2,884 metres. The French GR 10 hiking trail, which covers over 800 km from one end of the Pyrenees to the other, passes through the village.

 

We were high up in the Pyrenees at the top of the Col d'aubisque even higher at 1,750 m. The weather had been cold, cold enough for snow on the top of the mountains. The white mountain tops are reaching here higher than 2600 meters. The highest peak in the Pyrenees is 3,404 meters high. We have a splendid view on the winter sport resort Gourette.

 

De Pyreneeën Frans: Pyrénées, Spaans: Pirineos, Catalaans: Pirineus, Baskisch: Pirinioak zijn een gebergte, gelegen op de grens van Spanje en Frankrijk. Het gebergte strekt zich uit over ongeveer 430 kilometer, tussen de Atlantische Oceaan en de Middellandse Zee. De hoogste berg is de Aneto 3404 meter, gelegen in het uiterste noordoosten van het Spaanse Aragón. Het gebergte is ontstaan door de botsing van het Iberisch schiereiland met het Europese continent, gedurende de Alpiene orogenese, vanaf circa 50 miljoen jaar geleden tot heden. De Col d'Aubisque hierboven is een bergpas in de Franse Pyreneeën. De bergpas is vooral bekend van wielrenetappes in bijvoorbeeld de Ronde van Frankrijk. Beneden in het dal ligt het wintersport plaatsje Gourette.

 

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Uploaded on November 10, 2009
Taken on October 21, 2009