It seems that Marcadau owes its name to the cattle market that between the French, Aragonese and Navarrese was organized in Pla de Goule since the 14th century. The region, wild and remote, offers optimal conditions to satisfy lovers of snowboarding and mountain skiing.
A region and a refuge with history, a variety of peaks and routes, good snowfall and for many fans more accustomed to practice snowboarding and alpine skiing on the southern slope of the Pyrenees, the attraction of discovery. The most natural and comfortable access to this privileged area is from the Plateau du Clot, past Pont d'Espagne, a point better known than the first for being the beginning of the Gaube valley, an access route to the imposing Vignemale.
You can also get there from Aragon by crossing the Facha pass or the Marcadau pass, both less direct options and of such length and commitment that they are in themselves considerable journeys.
Right in the heart of the region, where animal exchanges once took place, stands the Wallon shelter. Its surroundings, with the streams making their way through the snow and the pine trees more or less scattered around, invite you to a restful and peaceful stay. As does the immense and comfortable mansion, one of the oldest in the Pyrenees.
It was founded in 1906 and has undergone various modifications, although it still retains the flavor of the old. The refuge is named after a renowned geographer from the late 19th century, a great explorer of this area of the Pyrenees. From there start three well-defined valleys, open in a fan: Cambalés, Marcadau and Arratille. The respective channels draw the main excursion routes towards no less than 10 surfable peaks.
The main summit of the region is the Gran Facha, a three-thousander much loved by our French neighbors. Its appearance is serious and although it is practically ascended in pilgrimage on August 5, the festival of the Virgin of the Snows, in winter the itinerary is not trivial, with a long and aerial final climb. p>
In addition to this ascent, the wide cirque of mountains that surrounds the Wallon refuge offers us other possibilities for snowboarding and mountain skiing that are equally magnificent: Soum de Bassia, Bernat Barrau, Cambalés, Pene d'Aragon, Petite Fache, Pantet, Punta de la Muga, Grand Pic de Peterneille, Jumeaux and Alphonse Meillon offer good routes and, above all, direct descents of great interest. These summits, being more anonymous than "la Facha" are interesting objectives that invite you to extend your stay in the Wallon.
The surfer or the mountain skier, in case what has been explained so far does not seem enough, also has the possibility of making beautiful journeys to the nearest refuges. Respomuso through the Col de la Facha, Panticosa through the Marcadau port and Oulettes de Gaube through the Arratille and Mulets hills, one day from the Wallon, allow circular itineraries round trip, as well as other crossing combinations. In this case, the combinations of stages depend only on the imagination and desire of the adventurer, being able to trace a "high route" of many carats. The limit is in the time you have and in your legs!
The orientation, preferably north, and the elevation of the refuge (1,865 m) are guarantees of good snowfall. If we also take into account the western location of the massif, which is more prone to heavy snowfall than other areas of the Pyrenees, it can even be said that at the beginning of the season the snow can be excessive, at least in terms of the conditions. security.
All in all, spring can be considered the best time to visit Marcadau with boards or skis, given that the average heights of the peaks are also a guarantee of good slopes, close in all cases to the 1,000 skiable meters. In any case, this type of orientation does not go beyond there, even more so if we take into account the climatic irregularity that threatens us.
In all cases, and although the proposed itineraries do not have a great exposure to avalanches, it is worth remembering that traveling in winter through the Western and Central Pyrenees always requires good knowledge of the conditions and a continuous evaluation of the risks. One of the maxims of risky sports is to be well prepared.
