This spring, Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000 achieved an unexpected milestone; it outpaced its larger neighbor, Saint-Lary, in ski-day sales—and it may yet emerge as the busiest resort in the entire French Pyrenees. When all ski lifts fell silent on March 30, Font-Romeu’s turnstiles had clicked through an unprecedented 587,669 ski-days, while Saint-Lary logged around 550,000, short of its usual 600,000-plus tally.
Font-Romeu’s triumph is all the more remarkable given its relatively modest 45 km of pistes compared with Saint-Lary’s 105 km. Over recent seasons, Saint-Lary invested heavily in modernization—replacing gondolas, installing new chairlifts and carving out fresh runs to become the largest resort in the range—yet this winter it fell just behind. Meanwhile, Font-Romeu began reaping the rewards of its own upgrades: a brand-new access gondola and a modernized Gentianes chairlift welcomed guests this season, and over €25 million of further enhancements (including an Alpine coaster) are planned over the next two summers.
Both resorts belong to the Altiservice group, which now boasts over 1.1 million ski-days across its two Pyrenean properties, plus Lyon’s urban funicular. Once home to several smaller centres under its banner, Altiservice has consolidated into a lean but powerful operator whose recent investments have shifted the balance of regional ski tourism.
Les Angles, rising star of Neiges Catalanes consortium
A little farther south, Les Angles capped off another standout season for the Neiges Catalanes consortium. Opening December 12, the resort enjoyed near-perfect conditions all winter—closing for just one day (January 11) despite the fickle mountain weather—and maintained skiing over some 90 percent of its terrain until its April 6 finale.
Skier turnout soared, peaking at over 9,000 visitors on December 29, and annual ski-day sales climbed to around 320,000, a 12 percent increase over last year’s 280,000. Revenue reached €10.2 million, matching the bumper post-COVID winter of 2021–22, when early and frequent snowfalls filled both slopes and bank accounts.
Together, Font-Romeu’s 587,669 ski-days, Les Angles’ 320,000 and the roughly 200,000 from Trio Pyrénées push Neiges Catalanes past the 1 million mark in total ski-days—a surge fueled in part (30 percent) by visitors from Catalonia and beyond.
With April’s closing bell still echoing, Les Angles is already preparing for summer, transforming its lifts into access points for mountain bikes, opening forest hiking trails and revving up the Lou Bac Mountain luge. Riders can soar through the woods at up to 42 km/h on its nearly 2 km rail. Adding to the year round attractivity of the ski area, a plus in winters of less certain snow cover.