Superbagnères () is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

above the town of

Bagnères-de-Luchon Bagnères-de-Luchon (; ), also referred to as just Luchon, is a Communes of France, commune and spa town in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie region of south-western France. T ...

in the French department of

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...

in the Midi-Pyrénées region.

Overview

The resort offers alpine ski slopes and cross-country skiing from 1440 to 2260 m. The resort was opened early in the twentieth century. Historically it was connected to the town by a

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

, but today it is connected with a

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

. Each cabin holds up to four people and takes about ten minutes to reach the summit, running in the summer as well as the winter. It's not possible to ski back down to Luchon, except in times of exceptional snow for talented locals who know the woods.

Details of climb

From

the climb to the ski-station is 18.5 km at an average gradient of 6.3%, with the summit being at 1800 m above sea-level. There are several short stretches in excess of 10%.

Tour de France

As of 2024, the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

has had stage finishes at Superbagnères six times. Stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France is also due to finish at Superbagnères:

References

External links

Ski station websiteProfile of climb on www.climbbybike.comSuperbagnères on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
Tourist attractions in Haute-Garonne Ski areas and resorts in France Haute-Garonne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{Cycling-stub