Tour de France 2005 - Advice for mountain stages
 

I'm planning a driving tour for June 2005 that will include the major mountain stages of the 2005 Tour de France. The idea is that we visit the Col de la Madeleine, etc., get our pictures, and feel that much more connected when we follow the Tour coverage on TV in July. I figure that none of the mountain passes will be closed for snow in June, and we'll have the longest days of the year for sightseeing.
So far I've mapped the route for the mountain stages, both in the Alpes and the Pyrenees. It seems obvious that these locations would be served by ski resorts (Courcheval, Grenoble, etc), but I haven't found any 'Ski France' (or something) brochures anywhere. That, of course, is the easy way. The hard way is to map a route practically blind, then sift through all the accommodations on the way. And the poor Pyrenees are totally ignored when discussing French skiing - doesn't anyone ski the Pyrenees?

Any suggestions?

Colleen

Yes, people ski the Pyrenees.

Have a look at Bagneres de Luchon for your Pyrenean base?

Thanks for the tip about Bagneres de Luchon. I'll check it out.

I ski the pyrenees! :)

There are many sites about french pyrenees, here are some:

www.tourmalet.fr
www.pyrenees.net
www.pyreneesweb.com
www.bareges.com
www.skiinfo.fr

hope this helps!
cristina

slightly off topic, but have you read French Revolutions by Tim Moore? Hilarious account of one man's tour. A must read before your trip- for the parts about the mountains alone! I think the hotels he stayed in are mentioned as well.