DAHU Mountain Tango Marathon

We are very happy to invite you to the first edition of our DAHU marathon, in the heart of the Pyrenees, in an Ariégeos mountain centre at 1000m altitude. 4 days of tango, 28h ball 99,9% tradi with international TDJs, 100 dancers AND activities to enjoy the mountains : hiking (small and large) and caving !

THURSDAY
– 6:30pm Welcome
– 7pm-8:30pm Meal
– 9pm-2am MILONGA#1 TDJ NICOLAS ARRIBAT Toulouse France

FRIDAY
– 10am-12:30pm Brunch
– 11am departure Caving (without rope) or Short hike or Medium hike or Great hike
– 2pm-6pm Bodily activities (in progress)
– 3pm departure Caving (without rope)
– 7pm-8:30pm Meal
– 9pm-3am MILONGA#2 TDJ LUA Portugal

SATURDAY
– 10am-12:30pm Brunch
– 11am departure Caving (with ropes) or Short hike or Medium hike
– 1pm-2pm Initiation for local people
– 2pm-7pm MILONGA#3 TDJ NATHALIE Ariège France
– 7pm-8:30pm Meal
– 9pm-4am MILONGA#4 TDJ BARBARA PALMER Argentine

SUNDAY
– 10:30am-1pm Brunch
– 2pm-7pm MILONGA#5 Despedida TDJ ANNA POLIAKOVA Belarus

The programme is subject to change depending on the weather.

28 hours of 99.9% traditional tango, 5 sets spread across 5 international DJs !

TDJ BARBARA PALMER Argentine
SATURDAY NIGHT SET
Barbara lives in Valencia (Spain), where she runs the Milonga del Puerto and DolceVita milonga, as well as the Dolce Tango marathon.
She infuses each set with her Argentine tanguera identity. She showcases traditional orchestras, with all the emotion and intensity possible. She pays particular attention to the cortinas, which are consistent, entertaining, and danceable !
With extensive experience as an organiser and DJ, she is regularly invited to major Spanish and European events. She devotes a lot of time to listening to and studying tango music, has participated in seminars and meetings for this purpose, and has crafted her training, which, in this case as in many others, is never-ending !
She combines this activity with that of tango dancer and teacher, thus completing the circle of this art and its culture.

TDJ LUA Portugal
FRIDAY NIGHT SET
Lua is Italian and lives in Lisbon. She discovered tango in 2004 while walking along the Seine River and was completely fascinated.
Since 2011, she has been actively involved in organizing tango events in Lisbon (“Milonga da Lua”) while also DJing at milongas, encuentros, festivals, and marathons across Europe and the United States. For her, each milonga is unique. Each tanda tells a story. Each tango brings back memories of past dances. Today, her musical selection combines the diverse tastes of the dancers she has met in tango.

TDJ ANNA POLIAKOVA Belarus
DESPEDIDA
Born in Belarus, Anna has traveled extensively and lived in various countries. She now lives in France. She loves people with a sense of humor, a taste for adventure, and, of course, beautiful tango music. Since 2012, she has been playing in milongas and at events in different countries, influenced by each venue and each dance floor. For her, being a DJ is pure magic : creating an atmosphere, complementing the energy of the dance floor, and offering moments of shared joy. Her musical heart belongs to the timeless classics of tango, delicately spiced with modern tango orchestras. Her most beautiful tandas are often inspired by her dancer friends and what’s happening on the dance floor.

TDJ NATHALIE France Ariège
SATURDAY AFTERNOON SET
A sensitive and passionate dancer, Nathalie discovered the music that moves her at encuentro milonguero.
Today, she seeks to share this universe and has been providing the music for regular milongas, marathons, and encuentros since 2022.
She sees the role of DJ as a catalyst for energies, and the ball as a space-time where stories can be told.
Her favorite music is from the 1930s and 40s, with some more recent selections…
For her, three keywords : Shebam ! Pow ! Wizzzzzzzz !!! (Energy, Emotion, Balance).

TDJ NICOLAS ARRIBAT France Toulouse
THURSDAY NIGHT SET
Born in Toulouse, Nicolas moved a lot, especially for tango ! He began DJing in Paris in 2010, then throughout Europe from 2015. He now lives in Toulouse where he teaches tango and organizes the Bicyclette milonga with a collective. He is the originator of the Toulouse Chimichurri.
He considers the dance floor as a beast ! A beast overflowing with desire, mood, and joy. His job is to feed it with whatever it craves, right now. An electric tanda to bother her ? A lyrical one to tug at its heartstrings ? An easy one to flatter its temper ? None of his sets is planned in advance, he creates them brick by brick live, striving each time to move and stir the beast !

Located in Suc, an altitude village in Ariége, the mountain PEP center hosts the marathon in an idyllic setting, on a south slope, facing the Pyrenean chain.

ACCOMMODATION
The center has a hundred beds, with a few rooms with 1 or 2 beds, and dormitories of 3 to 4 beds. There is a private bathroom for every 2 bedrooms. The great luxury what !

MEALS
On site and prepared by Sébastien and his team from the mountain centre !
Please indicate your diet in the registration form.

HOW TO COME
– The address : Centre de Montagne Ariège Pyrénées, Suc Village, 09220 Val-de-Sos.
– By car : 1h30 from Toulouse, parking in front of the center. Consider carpooling (link available soon) !
– By train : Tarascon sur Ariège station (night train from Paris), then we will pick you up.
– By plane : Toulouse Blagnac airport, then take the train.

The DAHU marathon takes place in the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees, so you might as well enjoy the mountain ! Whether you are a big or small athlete, here are our proposals and suggestions :

CAVING
The Vicdessos cave, 5min from the marathon, is one of the most beautiful introduction to caving in the Pyrenees. We will join an underground canyon punctuated with small waterfalls and beautiful galleries under the mountain of the Olbier Rock.
This caving crossing in the heart of the Vicdessos cave is accessible from 10 years old. A small river that meanders on black marbles, veins of white quartz of all beauty that ends with natural slides like an underground aqualand.
Sensations and change of scenery guaranteed !

Chris, tireless dancer and professional caving guide, offers you two routes in this underground river :
– one without a rope, simpler
– another, a bit more technical, with ropes, to descend into small natural wells.

– Duration 3 hours, 6 people per group,
– Equipment provided : caving suits, knee pads, neoprene socks, gloves, helmets, lighting and, if necessary, harness and descender.
– Participants must provide sportswear such as jogging (or leggings), t-shirt (thermal if possible), fleece and a pair of sneakers that are not afraid to go into the water.

SMALL HIKE - Montreal-de-Sos Castel
– difficulty : easy
– walking time (without breaks included) : 2h
– height difference : 200m ascent 200m descent
The Montréal-de-Sos castle ruins dominate the Vic-de-Sos valley, nothing like it to have a magnificent panorama ! And as a bonus : several incredible little caves allow us to access the castle.
The departure will be in Vicdessos from the tree climbing parking. The climb lasts about 45 minutes, then we will take the time to picnic near the dungeon, before the descent through the Olbier village.

MEDIUM HIKE - Suc Orus village Vicdessos loop
– difficulty : easy
– walking time (without breaks included) : 2h30
– height difference : 300m ascent 300m descent
Starting from the mountain center, we will join the village of Sentenac, then, on the south flank, we will go to the Orus village, a magnificent Ariegeois village that dominates the Vic-de-Sos valley. From there, we will go back down to Vicessos to take, possibly, a well-deserved beer, before going back quietly up to Suc.

GREAT HIKE – Arbu Pond
– difficulty : medium
– walking time (without breaks included) : 3h30
– height difference : 400m ascent, 400m descent
At the foot of the 3 Seigneurs Pic, the splendid Arbu pond is the high mountain lake closest to the marathon. 5min carpooling will take us to the start of the hike, which starts with 45min of slight incline to get warmed up.
Then follow a 30min steep track and a gradual ascent of another 30 minutes to the pond. If there are motivated people, we will offer to go down by a variant, to the Mountain Center !

Other things to do in Vic-de-Sos valley !
– Treeclimbing, via ferrata and canyoning in Vic-de-Sos, for youngs and olds :
Http ://www.montcalmaventure.com/
– Niaux Cave : walk for 30 minutes in a cave to reach the incredible room of prehistoric paintings Https ://www sites-touristiques-ariege.fr/grotte-de-niaux/
– Other walks : Soulcem, Bassies, Port de Lers et Pic des 3 Seigneurs.

FULL BOARD : accommodation 3 nights + all meals
– in a single or duo room : €250
– in dormitories 3, 4 beds : €230

MARATHON ALONE
Without accommodation neither meals : €90

SINGLE MEAL
Brunch or evening meal : €16

CAVING TRIP
– underground river without rope : €35
– underground river + wells with ropes : €45

We are incredibly excited to organize this mountain marathon. Why ? Let’s introduce ourselves !

Chris
The Haute Ariège is a fabulous mountain region. As an outdoor activity guide, I regularly work in this magnificent area, so when we discussed the idea of ​​a marathon combining tango, mountains and caving, I jumped at the chance !

Lisa

Nico
My father’s house is here, in this valley ! I’ve been coming here since I was a child, I played countless times in the Olbier caves and explored every nook and cranny of the local trails. So, dancing tango here is incredible for me !

Vir

And all our volunteers...

...who will help us build the dance floor and ensure you have the best possible experience to enjoy the dance and the mountains. A huge thank you to them !

We can’t wait ! Registration opens SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st. 12 p.m.

Register here : https://forms.gle/EMNWkqeMMfcNwSmj8

REGISTRATION DEADLINE : mid-March.

Thank you, see you soon, love
The Dahu Team ✨Chris, Nico, Lisa and Vir ✨