From Surf to Snow: A Trip to the Pyreneés Mountains

One of the greatest perks of studying remotely is the flexibility to take my coursework with me wherever I go. This past month, I traded the ocean breeze for crisp mountain air, venturing into the Pyreneés to explore a breathtaking region of France that had long been on my list.

A Snowy Welcome

My group and I arrived in Cauterets, a charming ski town near Lourdes, on a brisk evening. Fresh snow from the previous day set the perfect scene, and my friends and I were eager to hit the slopes. It had been years since I last snowboarded, and I was curious to see if muscle memory would kick in.

What awaited us was nothing short of spectacular – clear blue skies, pristine snow, and enough sunshine to keep my cheeks rosy all week.

Learning on the Go

As an American, I never learned how to drive a manual car – something that’s far less common in the U.S. compared to Europe. So, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that either my fellow North American friend or I would need to drive our rental car back to Biarritz. Our French friend, the designated driver, had other travel plans after Cauterets.

Never in my life did I expect to learn how to drive stick shift in an IKEA parking lot in southwest France, but there I was – tentatively shifting gears and hoping I wouldn’t stall in the snow. In the end, my Canadian friend took the wheel for most of the journey back, but I walked away with a new skill and the confidence to keep improving. I have a feeling it’ll come in handy one day.

A Week of Language Immersion

Previously, I dedicated a blog post to language learning tips for studying abroad. One of my key takeaways was the importance of immersing yourself in real-world conversations. This trip reinforced that lesson.

During my week in Cauterets, I stayed with my French friend’s family, and even they noticed how much my French improved in just a few days. Between ski lifts and lodge lunches, I found myself picking up new words – piste(ski run), télécabine (gondola), bâtons de ski (ski poles), and bains thermaux (thermal baths), to name a few.

One of the highlights of the trip was experiencing a true French family dinner – complete with raclette. A wintertime tradition, raclette involves melting cheese and pouring it over everything from baguettes to potatoes to jambon. There’s something incredibly satisfying about scraping perfectly melted cheese from your individual raclette tray onto a warm plate of food.

New Memories, New Perspectives

As someone who grew up in Miami, I’ve always been drawn to tropical climates. But this trip to the snow-covered Pyreneés made me appreciate winter in a whole new way.

Despite the years away from the sport, my body instinctively remembered how to carve down the mountain, and before long, I was gliding down the pistes with confidence.

For now, it’s back to the seaside cliffs of Biarritz. But to the Pyreneés, I say—à bientôt!