Mariano Fanlo Basail, aged 81, learned to ski from his father, Spain’s first Pyrenees skier. The son continues to ski regardless of his age.Ute Mueller joins the trail of ski pioneer MarianoIt had snowed all night, but a strong wind simply swept away some of the new snowfall. Still, Mariano Fanlo Basail plans to ride up to Formigal and strap on his skis.“I’m not going to let a little bit of wind stop me,” he says. Back in the day, he had only a beret, a woollen pullover and galoshes to ward off the cold.Mariano is 81 years old, and he has tried out many skiing regions around the globe in his long life. But it is here, in his home region, the Tena Valley, that he likes skiing best of all.The valley is in Spain’s region of Aragon, which once upon a time was a kingdom. Don Mariano is a legend here, still hale and hearty.His father was the first Spaniard ever to own skis. That was 1912. At the time 14 years old, he was given the strange-looking wooden slats by a family friend, a geologist who lived in Pau in southern France.The friend had crossed over the nearby border to the small mountain hamlet Sallent de Gállego in order to study the mountain lakes of Aragon, and to do some skiing as well.“Back then, nearly everyone lived from raising sheep. Nobody had ever seen these strange wooden boards before,” Mariano recalls. “It was a sensational event in the village when my father tried them out on our snow-covered fields.”It didn’t take long before the first villagers began making skis for their children. They used ash wood, and the local blacksmith fashioned a simple binding, a wire clamp, for the shoes.“Back then we had to use a pole for steering,” Mariano says of his first attempts at skiing. “Doing a curve was extremely complicated.”Later on he became a ski instructor and one of the most successful hotel owners in Sallent de Gállego. The village became the cradle of skiing in the Pyrenees mountains and a nurturing place for many famous Spanish skiers.Just recently celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the first skiing in Spain were held. TV was on the scene as ski pioneer Mariano skied through the village on a pair of the early-day skis.Sallent de Gállego has maintained its quiet charm of the past. But it’s a lot different at the skiing station Formigal, just five minutes’ drive away, where already in the early morning music from an après-ski bar is blaring across the slopes.Many hotels have been built on the erstwhile mountain meadows, bringing money to the farmers who were, often enough, very poor.“Over the past few decades we have seen unbelievable development,” notes Tono Gerico.His grandfather was the village blacksmith who made the first ski bindings. Now Tono is director of the ski station which makes Formigal, with its 137 kilometres of ski runs, the largest skiing region in all of Spain.The first ski lift was built in 1964. Now, four valleys are linked together. Tono works in the futuristic-looking Sextas valley station, located at a 1,550m elevation and painted a bright green.“We have made every effort to make our station into the most modern one in Spain,” he says. He knows only too well that Formigal is clinched in an eternal competition with the smaller, but more famous Baqueira Beret ski region, two hours’ drive away. The jet set and Spain’s royals do their skiing there.Formigal is throwing everything it has into the fray: with four artificial lakes and 440 snow-making machines it can guarantee that all its slopes will always have enough snow for skiing. There are hardly any queues at the lifts, with a lift carrying eight people at once, the only one of its kind anywhere, up the mountain.Once at the foot of the Pico Tres Hombres (2,276m elevation), skiers will need about an hour to ski back down to the Valle de Portalet, the fourth and last of the valleys.Dominating the scenery is the Anayet, 2,574m high and one of the most uniquely shaped peaks in the Pyrenees.From the Espelunciecha lift, skiers have one of the most breath-taking views of the French Pyrenees, above all the 2,884m-high Midi d’Ossau, whose peak resembles an open mouth of a fish.Traditionally the Spaniards who lived in this remote mountain region were more closely linked to their French neighbours than with their own compatriots.“The French like to come across the border, so as to buy liquors and other spirits more cheaply in Spain,” comments Yolanda Julian, one of Tono’s co-workers.Up on Portalet, there is the “Ski-Ratrak,” a special service found only in Formigal and nearby Cerler. There’s quite a crush of skiers, but the wait is worth it. A ski slope tractor will tow up to 30 skiers and snowboarders to a side valley. The skiers hold onto two tow-cables as the heavy machine chugs its way up the mountain.While enjoying the scenery, they must be careful that their skis don’t become entangled. After about 2km, they are dropped off above the Espelunciecha lake and can ski back down to the valley.Halfway down the slope is the mountain hut La Glera, the only one in the entire ski region. Reminiscent of an Austrian or Swiss alpine inn, La Glera serves up a potaje aragones, a regional beans and sausage stew.Otherwise Formigal is intent on cultivating its avant-garde image and has all sorts of curiosities to offer. For example, there’s an igloo up on the Izas ski run where sushi is served up.At the other end of the ski area, on the Rinconada ski run, there is an exact replica of a yurt where they serve sparkling wine. Along the more classical line, there are two Indian tents where the meal fare is tapas.Exhausted skiers can recover from the day’s strenuous activity in the nearby thermal baths of Panticosa. It is one of the oldest in Spain — the ancient Romans were the first to make use of its six springs. They called them the thermal springs of Tiberius.Belen Moneo, the daughter of one of Spain’s most famous architects, a few years ago completely renovated the resort nestled in the mountains and converted it into a luxurious and extensive spa. Regular guests have included King Alfons XIII.With luck, one can spot deer and other wild animals while working out in the fitness centre. The surroundings are almost surrealistic: a deserted Grand Hotel is seen next to a picturesque frozen lake.If there ever is a film remake of Dr Zhivago, this would make the perfect setting. — DPA