Baqueira Beret, sixty years of the Gstaad of the Pyrenees, discreet refuge for royals and celebrities

There are those who claim that in Baqueira time is relative. That the twists and turns (and even the long hours behind the wheel: three and a half hours from Barcelona, six from Madrid, and almost four from the Basque Country and France) are forgotten when this icy oasis with 171 kilometers of skiable slopes and a unique architectural and gastronomic magnetism is finally reached. It is a place of orderly slate facades and endless descents and valleys. Bourgeois. Sovereign. Obsessed with its rules (and defender of its own language, Aranese, which mixes Occitan, Aquitanian, Basque, and some Gascon and Piedmontese) and with the discretion that from minute zero turned it into a silent luxury Shangri-la.

Winter meeting point for the wealthy, the most sporty intellectuals, and (almost) all European royals, it was Camilo José Cela himself who discovered Aran as a universal destination when he attended the opening of Baqueira Beret, and it was the royal family that gave it the final push with their arrival at La Pleta.

Everything is possible in Baqueira. Everything happens in Baqueira. Everyone wants to be in this destination of sophisticated discretion where it's so easy to see and be seen as well as to go unnoticed. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary true to its style, in a big way. This season, Loewe sets up a Christmas pop-up showcasing the pre-Spring/Summer 2025 collection, with the special contribution of the Japanese ceramicist duo Suna Fujita, along with a selection of women's ready-to-wear garments and accessories from the brand. Additionally, Husta is launching a limited edition of skis manufactured in the workshop of Salardú using sustainable materials such as ash wood and a hybrid fiber of carbon and flax. The station itself is introducing improvements to consolidate its position as a reference point in the European scene, with three new slopes that stand out for their variety and technical challenge (the black Bosc de Peülla 2, the red La Barqueta 2, and the more accessible 2,200), improvements in links in areas like Ta Cabanes and Baciver, and an extraordinary sports calendar.

Starting now, from the 18th to the 23rd, the fourth edition of the Freeride World Tour is taking place in the Baciver area, known as FWT for the connoisseurs. This alpine challenge explores the wildest descents in the world, timed by its official partner, the Swiss watch manufacturer Alpina. And as if that weren't enough, a few days later, on February 5th and 6th, the Stadium Fernández Ochoa in Beret will host for the first time the FIS European Cup for men's slalom, for which significant extensions have been made to the start and finish areas, along with the installation of new snowmaking systems. As they say, in Baqueira everything happens and everything is set to attract everyone.