With XPL’AURE LOURON, Saint-Lary, Piau-Engaly, Peyragudes and Val Louron are taking their partnership to the next level. One single pass now gives skiers access to all four resorts, with the freedom to decide where to ski right up until the last minute.
What looks like a simple idea for the skier actually represents a significant step forward behind the scenes: different mountain operators and local stakeholders have joined forces, moving beyond their usual commercial boundaries to create a genuinely shared offer across the Aure and Louron valleys.
Choose your resort in the morning according to the weather, snow conditions or simply the kind of ski day you are looking for. Ski Saint-Lary today, head to Piau-Engaly tomorrow and discover Peyragudes or Val Louron later in the week – all without having to buy a separate lift pass each time.
“FOUR RESORTS, ONE PASS: SKI ACROSS THE AURE AND LOURON VALLEYS”
On paper, the concept is simple. But that simplicity is precisely what makes the initiative so interesting. By working together, the different operators have created a more seamless and flexible experience, putting the skier’s needs first.
XPL’AURE LOURON: a card for all four seasons
With XPL’AURE LOURON, skiers can use a single ski pass to access Saint-Lary, Piau-Engaly, Peyragudes and Val Louron. These four ski areas are all situated within 30 minutes of one another and, together, offer around 250 kilometres of slopes.
The system works in much the same way as an electronic toll system. After paying an annual fee of 25 euros and registering a payment method, users can go straight to the ski lifts at their chosen resort.
“XPL’AURE LOURON turns geographical proximity into freedom of choice for skiers”
There is no need to buy a day pass in advance or go to the ticket office: the system automatically records the day’s skiing and charges you accordingly afterwards.
The pricing structure is also progressive. The first four days come with a 10 per cent discount on the daily pass price; between days 5 and 9, the discount rises to 15 per cent; the tenth day offers a 50 per cent reduction; and from then on, subsequent days are eligible for a 20 per cent discount.
However, reducing XPL’AURE LOURON to a system of discounts would mean losing sight of what really matters. Because the real product on offer here is, probably, the freedom to choose.
Today I’m skiing in Saint-Lary, tomorrow in Piau…: the skier gets to decide again
The way people enjoy skiing is changing. Alongside the traditional holiday booked months in advance at a single resort, a much more flexible model is emerging.
More and more skiers are checking the weather forecast, snowfall, wind conditions, road conditions or simply their own preferences before deciding where to go skiing that day.
“Saint-Lary, Piau-Engaly, Peyragudes and Val Louron have a total of 250 kilometres of slopes”
And the Aure and Louron valleys have one particular advantage: they bring together four ski areas that are geographically close to one another but differ in altitude, aspect, layout and location; and we believe that with XPL’AURE LOURON, this diversity becomes an asset.
A family might choose one slope one day, look for a steeper gradient or a different experience the next, and then adjust their plans depending on the conditions. The four resorts are not meant to be the same. It is precisely because they are different that their combination makes sense.
Saint-Lary, Piau-Engaly, Peyragudes and Val Louron together form a ski area covering nearly 250 kilometres of slopes, situated at altitudes ranging from approximately 1,400 to 2,600 metres.
Skiers pay no heed to the boundaries between operators
For a skier spending their holiday in the Hautes-Pyrénées, the legal structures, commercial systems and organisational set-up of the companies that run the ski lifts are, in practice, almost invisible, although for professionals, of course, the situation is more complex.
Saint-Lary is operated by Altiservice, a company which also manages Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000. Peyragudes and Piau-Engaly, for their part, form part of the Compagnie des Pyrénées ecosystem and its N’PY brand. Val Louron completes this regional network.
Developing a joint product therefore involves going beyond the usual commercial boundaries of each operator, and at I Love Ski we believe that this is precisely where one of its main benefits lies.
Although each resort must, of course, defend its results, its identity and its clientele, XPL’AURE LOURON is championing a different approach: it may be more effective to build skiers’ loyalty to a region than to try to keep them strictly within a single resort.
Building loyalty to a valley, not just a resort
Allowing a customer to ski at another resort might, at first glance, seem to run counter to any strategy for building customer loyalty. But competition in the tourism sector no longer takes place solely between two ski areas situated just a few kilometres apart.
Before choosing between Saint-Lary and Peyragudes, a visitor may have had to decide between the Hautes-Pyrénées, the Alps, Andorra or the Spanish Pyrenees. From that perspective, broadening the options once the skier is in the Aure and Louron valleys can enhance the overall appeal of the destination.
A range of options tailored to an increasingly flexible approach to skiing
This development also reflects a broader trend in tourism: consumers want to keep their options open right up until the last minute. In skiing, this need is even more evident, as the experience is determined by factors that no one can fully control several weeks in advance: snow, temperature, wind, visibility and visitor numbers.
XPL’AURE LOURON Having four complementary ski areas within a relatively small radius means there are plenty of options. Has the weather changed? Do conditions look better at another resort? Do the children fancy doing something different? The itinerary can be adjusted without having to change your ski pass.
“XPL’AURE LOURON also offers discounts at three partner spa centres”
There is also another significant aspect: XPL’AURE LOURON is no longer limited exclusively to skiing. Membership also includes discounts at three partner spa centres, as well as on certain summer activities for walkers and mountain bikers.
The system thus begins to outline a broader relationship between visitors and the local area – a relationship that could gradually extend far beyond a simple day’s skiing, given that mountain destinations are seeking to develop tourism models that are less reliant solely on the winter season.
In addition to the season pass, which already offers unlimited skiing in Saint-Lary, Peyragudes, Piau-Engaly and Val Louron, XPL’AURE LOURON now includes a much more flexible option based on the user’s actual usage.
Skiers who hold a season pass for any of the four resorts need not worry, as these passes are still being sold alongside them for regular skiers.
XPL’AURE LOURON: when cooperation also means innovation
In the skiing industry, innovation is often associated with new ski lifts, snowmaking, digitalisation or new services, but this XPL’AURE LOURON ski pass shows that it can also be organisational.
Getting different resorts and various commercial ecosystems to work together to offer customers a smoother experience is a good example. The Compagnie des Pyrénées itself points out that pooling resources is part of the N’PY network’s history: ever since its creation, several resorts have been committed to sharing skills, knowledge and commercial tools.
With XPL’AURE LOURON, this approach now goes a step further and is being developed within a shared geographical area that extends beyond simply belonging to the same network. And that is probably one of the key lessons to be learnt from this new initiative.
The four channels retain their distinctive characteristics. The operators retain their own objectives. The brands continue to be different.
However, in response to a very specific consumer demand – namely, to ski with ease, retain their freedom and decide even at the last minute which ski area to choose – the various stakeholders have found common ground for cooperation.
