Snowshoeing Weekend: Embark on a unique, women-only winter hiking adventure across the stunning landscapes of the French-Spanish border, perfect for all levels including beginners.
Breathtaking Mountain Views: Trek to awe-inspiring mountain peaks, enjoying spectacular views away from crowded trails.
Expert Guiding: Enhance your snowshoeing skills and build your confidence navigating the stunning mountains.
Cosy Accommodation: Stay in a charming B&B in a picturesque mountain village in Spain.
Foodie Adventure: Savour local flavours at handpicked restaurants every evening!
Adrenaline seekers: Experience the thrill of tobogganing down a floodlight ski piste.
THE HOLIDAY
Join Gutsy Girls for a guided snowshoeing adventure in the Pyrenees, a long weekend winter hiking in the magnificent mountains that border France and Spain.
Led by local mountain guides, we’ll explore a range of terrains, including national parks, glacier lakes, and remote mountain peaks, away from crowded paths.
Snowshoeing is a great winter activity for everyone! Essentially, it's hiking in the snow, giving you the opportunity to explore beautiful, snow-covered wilderness.
Our Alpine Ascent Weekends are great for Gutsy Girls who thrive on staying active. We'll take on the challenge of conquering peaks, honing our skills and boosting our confidence in the mountains, all while being surrounded by stunning, awe-inspiring vistas!
In the evenings, we'll immerse ourselves in the local life of a charming Spanish mountain village. Sampling delicious cuisine from the region with dinners at handpicked restaurants.
Our final evening will take us to the mountaintop via ski lift for dinner, followed by a thrilling toboggan ride down the illuminated ski slope! And for the ultimate relaxation, we'll visit a high-mountain spa with a heated outdoor pool offering unbelievable views.
This winter adventure is perfect for Gutsy Girls seeking a combination of active days, exploring breathtaking landscapes, authentic dining experiences, excitement, relaxation, and unforgettable memories with new friends.
The Adventure
Here’s a little taster of how your week will look!
Please see it as a rough guide as we may make changes to suit the weather conditions and energy levels of the group.
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Our team will meet you at Zaragoza Airport at 10:30am or Zaragoza train station at 10:50am.
This adventure works with the direct Ryanair flights from London Stansted, alternatively you can fly into Barcelona or Madrid and catch the train to Zaragoza. (More travel details below)
On arrival in Sallent there will be a briefing by the guide about the weekend ahead, what to expect, what kit our group will need and a chance to ask any questions.
We’ll have lunch at a local cafe.
In the after we’ll head to the local Roman Spa for a relaxing and refreshing 45 minute circuit!
In the evening we’ll head out for a delicious 3 course dinner at a local restaurant.
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After our hearty buffet breakfast, a short drive in the morning (10 mins) will take us to the border area of Portalet.
Here we can put our snowshoes on and try them out on a nice flat area to give everyone a bit of confidence, before heading out on today’s route which is on the Spanish side.
A fairly gentle start to the week with no steep ascents but with superb views all the way. The route passes under the famous mountain of Foratata.
Distance 12 km, accumulated ascent 470 metres.
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After breakfast today, we’ll drive around to the Valle de Aragon north of Jaca and cross through the Somport tunnel into France.
The views onto the north faces of the Aspe peaks covered in ice and snow are absolutely breath-taking. We’ll climb up through beech woods before breaking out into the open valley that leads up to the lake of Ibon de Estanes (which is actually back on the Spanish side of the border!).
Covered in snow and ice, with high cliffs towering above it, the lake is a stunning spot in winter.
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Today, we take a peek at a peak on the French side of the border, sitting right next to the magnificent summit of Pic du Midi d’Ossau.
This is a towering rocky peak and one of the most famous summits in the French Pyrenees. We get great views of Midi d’Ossau as well as dozens of other peaks from this summit. There are some steeper sections on the climb, but not a long ascent and we take things at an easy pace.
This route is done either as a there and back, or if the group is feeling adventurous, there is the option to follow a ‘barranco’ (stream bed) down which has some good fun steeper sections for some impromptu snowshoe skiing!
Tonight we will head up on the ski lifts to a restaurant overlooking the mountains. After dinner, we’ll toboggan down the flood lit ski slope!
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Today we’ll have a leisurely breakfast before heading back to the airport.
DATES
Wednesday 14 - Sunday 18 February FULLY BOOKED
Wednesday 21 - Sunday 25 February - FULLY BOOKED
PRICE
Private room ensuite £1300
Twin room ensuite £1150 We will pair you up with another guest!
WHAT'S INCLUDED
3 days of guided snowshoeing
4 nights accommodation
Snowshoes, gaiters and poles rental
Expert local mountain guides
Gutsy Girls host
4 breakfasts, 4 packed lunches and 4 three-course dinners
Spa morning - 75 minute circuit
Tobogganing evening
Airport transfers for our recommended flight times
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Flights
Drinks
Travel Insurance
Personal clothing
Warm and waterproof hiking boots with ankle support - mandatory
Check out our packing list below our FAQs here
PAYMENT
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit, your remaining balance is due 45 days before your trip start date.
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This active adventure offers the opportunity to experience the beauty of snow-covered landscapes. While no prior snowshoeing experience is needed, you will need to have good fitness level to tackle mountain climbs!
What to Expect:
Duration: Expect long, active days in the fresh mountain air. Daily tours will last 6-7 hours, with an actual physical activity time of around 5 hours.
Intensity: The hikes will include steep ascents and descents, requiring a good level of fitness. Remember, you'll be climbing mountains, which is hard work!
Head for heights: There may be sections with narrow paths and steeper drops either side.
Consecutive Activity: This trip involves 3 consecutive days of physical activity which can be tiring!
Preparation: We recommend guests engage in some hill walking and longer days of hiking to adequately prepare for this adventure.
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We offer a single timed transfer from both Zaragoza airport and Zaragoza train station to accommodate various travel options.
Flights
This trip is design to work with Ryanair’s direct flights from London Stansted to Zaragoza.
Ryanair (London Stansted - STN to Zaragoza - ZAZ):
Outbound: STN 06:50 → ZAZ 10:05 | RK2565
Return: ZAZ 11:20 → STN 12:30 | FR2566
Train
For those considering flying to Madrid or Barcelona, you have the option to catch a train to Zaragoza. You may need to have an overnight stay in either city to meet the transfer.
• Madrid → Zaragoza 1h20
• Barcelona → Zaragoza 1h40
Further details on train travel in Spain
Further details on train travel from the UK to Spain.
Train tickets are released 90 days in advance.
Transfer Schedule
Airport:
• Pick-up: 10:30am
• Drop-off: 9:30am
Train Station:
• Pick-up: 10:50am
• Drop-off: 9:45am
We aren’t able to provide transfers outside of this time, you are welcome to arrange your own private transfers or make use of local buses.
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Our hotel is a wonderful stone building set in the winding streets of Sallent de Gállego. María José is your host in this friendly family-run hotel with just 11 rooms. The hotel is fantastically decorated throughout with the bedrooms beautifully converted all with en-suite bathrooms. The bedrooms have mountain views.
There is a living room and reading area with sofas and a stone fireplace where you can have a coffee and relax.
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All your meals are provided and the food on this trip is fantastic!
A hearty buffet breakfast is served at the hotel.
Lunches are picnic lunches packed by the hotel and eaten on our snowshoeing route, including a bocadillo (French bread sandwich), fruit, cake, chocolate bar or muesli bar, and nut mix.
In the evening we will have a three course meal, sampling new restaurant in the village each night. These three course dinners are a real highlight! Drinks with dinner are not included.
Please bring your own snacks (energy / muesli bars, nuts, raisins etc) if you might need these for snowshoeing during the week - though there is also a shop in the village for extra supplies!
We can cater for most dietary requirements. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
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Our experiences are created with solo female travellers in mind, connecting like-minded women through sports, nature and adventure. The Gutsy Girls community is filled with bold and badass women from 18-65 years old, we never ask your age, just that you are up for an adventure!
As a rough guide, most Gutsy Girls guests are 24-60 years old, with around 60% in their 30s-40s.
After a day snowshoeing in the wild, age becomes irrelevant, as we are all connected by our experiences.
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You will need personal travel insurance that covers you for snow shoeing - this is a requirement.
We highly recommend you buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your spot to cover yourself should you fall ill or injure yourself before your trip.
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The cancellation will only be effective from the date that the cancellation is received in writing by email. Cancellation charges will be payable as follows:
• Cancellation fee of 100% is charged if cancelled 44 days or less before the trip
• Cancellation fee of 30% is charged if cancelled 45 days or more before the trip
BOOKINGS TERMS AND CONDITIONS
By paying your deposit you agree to the terms and conditions of Gutsy Girls and our provider.
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Whenever possible we use female instructors and guides, however, we cannot always guarantee this, simply because there are fewer female instructors available!
Our first priority is to work with the most highly experienced and considerate instructors and guides, who are patient, friendly and as passionate as we are about building women’s confidence in the outdoors.
Simply due to the ratio of men to women in the outdoors industry, sometimes this means our guides and instructors are male.
We keep a close eye on the feedback our guides receive from our guests as we believe that overall this is more important than their gender. We sincerely hope that as more women are introduced to adventure sports and activities, the number of female guides and instructors in our industry will increase.
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This trip has a maximum of 7 spots, early booking is advised!
GEAR YOU’ll NEED
Specialist ski gear is not required for this adventure!
Ski jackets and ski trousers will be too warm for snowshoeing.
You’ll need winter walking trousers, warm gloves or mittens, insulated jacket, thermal base layers. Full packing list below, any questions we’re happy to help!
Layers are the way to go as you could find yourself hiking in a t-shirt for part of the day and end up being wrapped up in everything you’ve got if the weather turns. The weather in the mountains can be very changeable.
BOOTS
You will need hiking boots with firm ankle support, these don’t need to be winter specific but should be warm!
Very light summer fabric boots won’t keep your feet warm. Snowboots, barefoot hiking boots or trainer style hiking boots are not suitable for this trip.
FULL PACKING LIST
WE PROVIDE
Snow shoes
Trekking poles
Gaiters
YOU WILL NEED
Snowshoeing kit:
Waterproof hiking boots with ankle support. (Preferably something not too lightweight. You don't need stiff soled winter hiking or mountaineering boots, but snow boots that are a bit like soft wellies with fluffy liners aren’t supportive enough).
20 - 30 litre backpack
Base layer thermal tops (a selection which you can layer up) (synthetic, wool or silk)
Long johns (thermal) (synthetic, wool or silk)
Fleece or wool jumper
A breathable, waterproof/water resistant and windproof shell jacket
Soft shell type winter hiking trousers or leggings (windproof, water repellent, breathable)
A warm packable insulated / down jacket
A selection of warm socks of different thicknesses to help you get the best fit in your boots (wool is best)
Sunglasses
Sun hat
Warm hat
Buff (you might want two - one for your neck, one as a headband), scarf or balaclava
Ski gloves
Thinner less warm gloves (if it’s not cold hands can get hot quickly!)
Glove liners and/or disposable hand warmers if you suffer from cold hands
Waterproof trousers
Off the Snow:
Casual evening clothes
Night wear
Toiletries
Any prescription medication
Compeed or moleskin for blisters, just in case!
Slippers / shoes for the hotel
Spa:
Swimsuit
Flip flops or sandals (mandatory)
Swimming cap (mandatory)
Towel (optional: the spa will provide these if you’d rather not bring one)
Other Stuff:
Sunscreen (high factor) and lip salve
Camera
Dry bags for inside your day pack to keep stuff dry
Waterproof case for your phone might be handy
Snacks
Water bottle (not a hydration pack as the water can freeze in the tube)
Small/Medium thermos flask for hot drinks