Rock Climbs In The Pyrenees

The best of Pyrenean rock climbing. There are 500m routes on immaculate andesite on the Pic du Midi d'Ossau; 300m routes on hard sandstone in the canyon of Ordesa; whilst the 300m conglomerate climbs on the towers and walls of Riglsos are mind-blowing. Also delicate slab climbing on limestone at the popular Santa Elena.

'Sueño con los angeles.’  Spanish expression.

This book is intended as an invitation to climbers to enjoy all that is best about rock climbing in the British style, sustained free moves with natural protection in the bigger arena of the Pyrenees and its environs. A 500m route on immaculate andesite leading to the summit slopes of a 3,000m peak is not uncommon on the Pic du Midi d’Ossau. A 300m route on hard sandstone in a 10-mile long, mile deep, mile wide canyon is representative of Ordesa while the towers and walls of Riglos growing out of the Spanish plain give 300m routes of stunning grandeur.

The Pyrenees have long been known as a Mecca for walkers and mountain scramblers, but they also offer excellent rock climbing in good weather, magnificent surroundings and with an almost total absence of crowds - at the time of writing. It is normal to have the route to oneself, common to have the face to oneself and occasionally the mountain also.

Three of the areas chosen for the book lie on a 25-mile arc which more or less follows the French-Spanish border and includes some of the highest and most spectacular of the Pyrenean summits: Midi d’Ossau, Palas, Balaitous, Grande Fache, Infierno, Vignemale, Taillon, Marboré, Perdido. Midway along the chord joining the ends of this arc is the tiny ski village of Panticosa, situated in the Spanish province of Huesca. This is an excellent central base for all the areas described: it has shops, bars, restaurants, tennis courts and a swimming pool. It is also a base in its own right for easy mountaineering and for smaller escuelas.

The Valle de Tena which contains Panticosa, the larger ski resort of Formigal and the campsites at Escarilla and Biescas may be reached from any of the channel ports in a day’s drive via Bordeaux, Pau and the Col de Portalet. It is also possible to use public transport to Pau and then a succession of trains and buses over the Col du Somport to Canfranc, Jaca, Sabiñanigo and finally Panticosa.

The weather on the French side of the Pyrenean chain may be cloudy, particularly in the afternoons and the terrain one of lush steep-sided river valleys. The weather on the Spanish side is normally continuous sunshine and the terrain is more open, rolling and grassy. This combined with the low cost of food, drink and accommodation would seem to confirm the Spanish side as the ideal choice as base, both for climbers and camp followers.

The routes described offer a challenge to all climbers who perform at severe standard and upwards, who would like to attempt longer routes in a mountain setting but without the oppressive objective dangers found in areas of higher altitude. The increased length, ever present concern with route finding and time pressure to finish without benighting, add a further dimension to both the joy and thrill of the climbing experience. However, the descriptions chosen are for routes with little or no loose rock and only minor route finding difficulty.