Introduction
Practicing extreme sports allows you to discover incredible places. The Vignemale has been and is one of the most emblematic and renowned mountains of the range. Despite the great beauty of the massif and its wild surroundings, it is not unreasonable to say that its fame is based on the inaccessible aspect of its northern face, truly fearsome in winter and the scene of some of the most admired mountaineering feats. The north of the Pique Longue and, above all, the prodigious Gaube couloir are two good symbols of the most classic Pyreneanism of difficulty and, even today, coveted objectives. p>
Although it can be said that the massif has two well-contrasted faces, so that behind the astonishing verticality of the Pitón Carré, the Punta Chausenque or the Pique Longue, a luminous and friendly face opens up: the Ossoue glacier . Its characteristic horseshoe shape, suspended above valleys and clouds and crowned by a rosary of three thousand, is well visible from peaks as distant as those of the Aran valley and Pallars. This large expanse of snow, the largest along with the Maladeta, is spacious and bright and seems to have been built expressly by the goddess Pirena for the practice of mountain skiing.
In any case, the ascents if you want to skiingon the Vignemale peaks are not a trivial task. To reach the best preserved glacier in the Pyrenees and enjoy its magnificent conditions, you must ascend through deep valleys and cross steep slopes. Without a doubt the complexity of the accesses, the isolation, the risk of avalanches and the height of the massif are the main objective factors, which in winter turn Vignemale into a very respectable mountain and its ascent into a true test for every mountaineer. .
Description of the Vignemale
The Vignemale is located in French territory, within the Bigorre region and very close to the Gavarnie cirque. Access from our country is laborious and complex, since it must be done through the Ara valley or from Panticosa, after crossing several hills. The most advisable approach should clearly be made through the French side, although it immerses us in a not inconsiderable road trip which, let's not fool ourselves, is one more difficulty to add.
Once passed, you enter the massif either through the Gaube valley, from Cauterets, or through the Ossoue valley, from Gavarnie. Both Accesses, through which the GR runs in summer, are possible with mountain skiing, the first being the most recommended at the beginning of the season. The Ossoue valley, regularly exposed to major avalanches, is however a good route in spring, allowing you to finish the season with solemnity.
Both slopes have good shelters, without guard in the winter season and with an open free part. They are the classic refuges of Gaube and Bayssellance. Both allow the ascents to be divided into two stages or to link journeys with the Marcadau and Gavarnie mountains respectively. Being a good shelter, the absence of guards can both cause a certain feeling of helplessness in the middle of winter and real overcrowding in the middle of the season.
Climatology
The region usually accumulates the greatest depths of snow in the entire Pyrenees. The Atlantic storms, always harsh, violently collide with the first "three thousand" of the mountain range and generously discharge the white element. This geoclimatic characteristic gives the area a special ruggedness while opening it to endless possibilities for skiing in the mountains. The other side of the coin is the great danger posed by sudden meteorological changes and low temperatures, factors that together increase the roughness of the routes and give greater prestige and winter status to the ascents carried out.
The profusion and dimensions of the avalanches that usually occur in the region deserve special mention. Specifically, there are three areas that should be highlighted for their danger.
- From Gaube access to the Hourquette d'Ossoue, whether done directly or by traversing under the ridges of the Hourquette, requires attention.
- Very steep and exposed is also the journey from the Baysellance refuge to the glacier, above the Bellevue caves, following the summer route. It should only be done in very good conditions, and it is more advisable to descend about 200 meters until you find more favorable terrain on which to climb back to the glacier moraine.
- The third, the most committed and which has already claimed more than one victim, is the ascent of the Ossoue ravine in its entirety. Its narrowness and length turns it into a mousetrap and the height of its walls makes it impossible to predict the amount and state of the accumulated snow. height. Traveling there with fresh or unstable snow is truly reckless.
Other phenomena such as storms and fog should also be considered fearsome. Low visibility conditions make orientation especially difficult on large terrain and this is very delicate when, as happens here, they later converge on steps. narrow and forced. Vignemale is not a mountain to improvise descents or look for shortcuts, so it is highly advisable to prevent these inconveniences as much as possible.
Possibilities of the massif
The Vignemale, being a suitable, even classic, massif for ski ascents, does not offer great diversity or a great number of possibilities. It is in this very different from the Maladetas, perhaps its direct rival in fame and interest. In total ten three thousand make up the massif, eight around the aforementioned d'Ossoue glacier and two further away, the Tapou and the Milleu, directing the transition towards the peaks of Ordesa-Gavarnie.
With the exception of these last two, with a well-differentiated route, the rugged orography of the massif forces the mountain skiing itineraries to be channeled along the same axis, the one that links Gaube with Ossoue through the Hourquette d'Ossoue. Then, once on the glacier, you can choose the desired objective. They are variations on the same theme, and although some peaks such as the Pico de Cerbillona will be completed practically with skis on your feet and others, such as the Pique Longue itself or the Pic del Clot de la Hount, for example, will almost certainly require wearing crampons and the help of a cord, 85% of all climbs are common.
In any of the proposed ascents you will experience strong contrasts between the dark depths of the valley and the breadth of panoramic views enjoyed from the peaks. The Gaube Valley Route starts from a very low altitude and takes us directly from a leafy and exuberant plant kingdom to the desolate world of rock and snow. The arrival at the Hourquette d'Ossau is majestic and broadens our horizon to old acquaintances after staring at the north face for hours. At the same time, the Ossoue Valley route is partly dark, running through a narrow corridor to, almost suddenly, open up to the grandeur of the glacier. Once there, the vision of Taillón, the Rolando gap and the cirque peaks will further increase our feeling of having emerged from the very bowels of the Earth.
Another very height. Traveling there with fresh or unstable snow is truly reckless.
