Balaïtous
| Balaitus | |
|---|---|
 Balaitus' summit | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,144 m (10,315 ft) |
| Listing | List of mountains in Aragon |
| Coordinates | 42°50′19″N 00°17′24″W / 42.83861°N 0.29000°WCoordinates: 42°50′19″N 00°17′24″W / 42.83861°N 0.29000°W |
| Geography | |
  Balaitus Pyrenees | |
| Location |
Hautes-Pyrénées, France Alto Gállego, Aragon, Spain |
| Parent range | Pyrenees |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | August 8, 1825 |
| Easiest route | Las Neous glacier |
The Balaitús (Spanish) or Pic du Balaïtous (French) (Aragonese: Pico Os Moros; Occitan: Vathleitosa) is a granitic massif of the Pyrenees, located right on the border between Spain and France.
Geography
Balaitús marks the starting point of the High Pyrenees. Its height is 3,144 metres (10,315 ft) AMSL, and it is the nearest mountain to the Atlantic coast to surpass 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Its name may come from the Occitan words "vath" (valley) and "leitosa" (milky). Another Spanish name for the mountain is Pico de los Moros (Moors' peak).
It separates the Spanish Tena Valley (Sallent de Gállego) from the French Val d'Azun.
Climbing history
The first ascent was done in 1825 by French geodesic technicians Peytier and Hossard after wrongly getting to Palas Peak due to fog. The second ascent was made in 1864 by Charles Packe, after several failed attempts, he thought that he was the first one, but was amazed by finding evidence of the first ascent.
Routes
There are many ascent routes, none of them are easy, mainly because of the strong vertical drop of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) from any of the access points.
From France the most frequent route goes through Las Neous[1] glacier starting from any of the refuges nearby: Larribet (2,060 m), Balaïtous (G. Ledormeur) (1,970 m) or Arrémoulit (2,305 m).
From Spain the starting point is La Sarra parking, near Sallent de Gállego, and then to the Arriel lakes or the Respumoso lake.[2]
See also
References
External links
- "Balaitus" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2008-07-18.