Aneto Peak
The Aneto is the highest peak in the Pyrenees and the second highest in the Iberian Peninsula, with an altitude of 3404 meters above sea level. It is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, in the Spanish municipality of Benasque, province of Huesca, autonomous community of Aragon.
It is part of the Maladeta massif and, located in the Benasque valley, it is made up of Paleozoic terrain of granitic nature and Mesozoic materials. On its north face, starting at approximately 2,810 m, is the largest glacier in the Pyrenees, with an area of about 100 ha, which, like many in the world, is in clear regression as a result of climate change (it is calculates that in the last 100 years it has lost more than half of its surface, and that in 30 or 40 years it may disappear).
History
Initially, the great agglomeration of granite would lack even a name. There are indications that the shepherds and hunters who perceived it designated it as Malheta or Malahita, or Punta from the southern valleys. The first educated traveler who sighted it from the port of Benasque, Louis Ramond de Carbonnières, would limit himself to describing in 1787 its appearance as an ice needle. Finally, the highest point of the Pyrenees would end up inheriting the name of a small town on its eastern side: Aneto.
The French, hearing the Spaniards pronounce Aneto, retained the last two clearly stressed phonetic syllables, "ne" and "tu", ignoring the first syllable "a". When transcribing it, its French name originated: "Netou”, despite the fact that the top and slopes are fully in Spanish territory. Several maps by later Gallic cartographers settled the place name to the point of referring to the peak as "Nethou", a nomenclature used today. This is not the only denomination existing in the neighboring country. Nelto, Nettou, Anetthou, Annetton, Anelthou, Nethom or Aréthon are other historical variants that still persist.
To the west of Aneto is Maladeta, which, without being among the five highest peaks in the area, appropriated the place name that alluded to the entire massif, since from the natural entrance to the valley or when arriving from France, its The top is in the foreground, while the crest of the gates hides the true dimension of Aneto, higher and with a greater glacier. Only once Friedrich von Parrot reached the top of Maladeta in 1817, did it become known that both Aneto and its neighbors Pico del Medio, Punta Astorg, Pico Maldito and Aguja Schmidt Endell were higher than Maladeta. Until then, Monte Perdido had been considered the highest in the Iberian Peninsula. However, not uncovering like the roof of the Pyrenees gave the mountain fame, since various disasters in the glaciers, some fatal, dissipated interest in crowning it. In fact, the death of Luchon Barrau (considered the dean and top expert in the area) in a crack in the Maladeta ice caused a real shock, and the natives of the area, already very fearful of venturing on the glacier, took real panic to that mountain, which they considered cursed.
Finally, on July 20, 1842, Platon de Tchihatcheff (Чихачёв, Chikhachev), a Russian soldier who vacationed in Bagnères-de-Luchon, and Albert de Franqueville, a Norman botanist, ascended to the top on a route that, with three days long, he deliberately dodged all the glaciers on the way. He was accompanied by the guides Pierre Sanio de Luz, Bernard Arrazau, Pierre Redonnet and Jean Sors. Albert de Franqueville named the final pass to the summit the "Bridge of Mohammed", in accordance, it is believed, with the Muslim legend that the entrance to paradise is as narrow as the edge of a scimitar on the that only the righteous pass. Upstairs, Tchihatcheff wanted to open a more direct route back across the glacier, but his companions flatly refused, forcing him to relent. Four days later he made a second ascent with another group, pursuing the same objective that his first companions had denied him. As they passed through the gate, in view of the crevasses that cut through the glacier, a riot nearly broke out, but finally, after tying themselves to a large rope, they crossed the chasms and the Mohammed pass was defeated a second time.
From then on, the Aneto would enter the dynamics of dissemination and popularization of the peaks of the Pyrenees. In France, its ascent became a great classic and every Bagneres de Luchon thermal tourist had to try it. A reflection of that moment is the book by Henry Spont, simply titled Le Néthou, where he describes the excursion, the schedule and the recommended material.
In 1866 Henry Russell designed an innovative tour of the Barrancs glacier, to the east, with the intention of avoiding the north face. He didn't make it to the top: the peak that today bears his name denied him the ascent twice. It would be José Nariño, in 1879, who managed to unlock the south face of the Aneto for the first time. By 1935 all the difficult routes had already been opened.
At the beginning of the XX century, the recluse refuge was inaugurated, the creation of Juli Soler from Barcelona. Shortly after, lightning killed the Benasqués guide José Sayó and his client, over the Mohammed pass, in 1916.
The location of the Aneto in the area of linguistic transition between the Catalan and Aragonese languages has created a certain dispute in the symbology. After the Sayó cross of 1917, the Catalonia Excursionist Center erected a large cross in 1951, corresponding to a Virgen del Pilar in 1956 and a San Marcial in 1981. None of these monuments can be easily preserved due to inclement weather. and the symbolic fight in the background.
Due to its orographic particularity as the peak of the Pyrenees, to the variety of fauna and flora due to the enormous unevenness of its valleys, to the impeccable state of ecological conservation and, above all, to the sensitivity of the glaciers on its summits (southernmost in Europe), was declared a natural park in 1994 together with the entire Maladeta and Posets massif and part of the natural monument of the Pyrenean Glaciers.
Looking to the future, the Aneto is waiting for the most important development in its recent history, the disappearance of its glaciers. 250 of 1842.
In mid-October 2018, the Aneto cross was the victim of an act of vandalism, being painted yellow, apparently to demand the independence of Catalonia. The civil guard moved to the place by helicopter to investigate, bringing a team to restore the cross. This act of vandalism aroused public rejection from various organizations and political parties.
Geography
It rises to 3,404 meters above sea level in the center of the Pyrenees, a mountain range whose territories almost completely cover the border between France and Spain. The peak is located in the northeast of the province of Huesca and occupies the eastern end of the Cursed Mountains. The ridge that joins it with the famous Maladeta, further west, exceeds 3000 meters of altitude, and stands out in a row of peaks called Coronas, which, together with the crest of the gates, gives the massif its characteristic image.
Although the valley is the source of the river Ésera, on the southern slope, the snows of the Aneto and its glacier filter through a large chasm in Aigualluts to flow into the valley of Aran and the river Garona, bound for France. The waters of its western and southern faces, on the other hand, meet at the Upper, Middle and Lower lakes, to later descend to the Ballibierna River once it has passed the Coronas Lake.
The Maladeta massif, which represents the highest concentration of three thousand in the Pyrenees (one hundred and six, more than half of the entire mountain range), is surrounded by valleys that ascend towards high natural passes, today almost in disuse. A pass of more than 2,500 meters, crowned by the characteristic Perdiguero, separates the peak from French territory and the Aran Valley. The Spanish side, wider and more compact and therefore more difficult to access, is separated from the foothills by the ravines and ravines of the Posets and Maladeta massifs. Just two valleys further south, the alpine ski resort of Cerler rises.
Glaciers
Such an agglomeration of peaks, all of them markedly alpine in nature, is the cradle of what were once the largest glaciers in the Pyrenees, which reached the mouth of the Ventamillo Gorge with ice thicknesses of several hundred meters. Today, the warming of the earth has reduced that prodigious mass to eleven icebergs that only add up to three hundred hectares of surface area. The beginning of the thaw process is not known with certainty, but it is certain that it has currently accelerated vertiginously, and it is It predicts that from the middle of the XXI century the perpetual ice of Aneto and the entire Pyrenees may disappear.
Three glaciers live on the slopes of the mountain: the largest, called the Aneto glacier, to the north; Los Barrancos, next to Las Tempestades, to the northeast; and Las Coronas or Coronado Glacier, to the south.
The rest cannot be defined as glaciers without getting into controversy, since they have lost all mobility and do not behave as such. It would be necessary to cite here the icefields of Cregüella, Alba and Salenques, in a significant state of decline. However, even considering them as snowfields, their glacial past has sustained them to date and their heart of ice is expected to last decades.
Currently, the decrease in snowfall during winter and the increase in temperature in summer make it extremely difficult for them to survive. In the years prior to 2006, the greatest retreat of the Pyrenean glaciers took place, with the exception of those facing south, on which snow was accumulated by the northern component storms. In 2007 and 2008, two wet springs brought abundant snow to the three-thousanders of the Pyrenees. Afterwards, two not particularly warm summers and some early snow in the autumn of 2007 gave the glaciers of Aneto and the rest of the Pyrenees a breather.
Flora
The uniqueness of the massif and its attractiveness has led to the almost total abandonment of agricultural and livestock activities, replaced by tourism. The surrounding flora, therefore, enjoys impeccable conservation, especially on slopes and massifs, whose forests remain in a primary state.
Nival or upper alpine floor
This layer, which reaches 3404 meters above sea level, is the one that presents the most difficulties for the development of life. The harsh weather conditions that plants have to endure at the top of the peaks, ridges and ridges require the development of an extraordinary capacity for adaptation. There are a number of factors to bear, such as strong insolation, low temperatures and short vegetative cycles in the presence of snow most of the year.
Totally devoid of arboreal vegetation, it is colonized by no more than 100 plant species, as well as lichens and microscopic algae. 20% of these species are endemic to the Pyrenees. The presence of the Androsace vandelli, which rises to 2800 meters, and the Silene acaulis should be highlighted.
Alpine floor
In the lower and middle areas of the alpine floor (from 2200 meters) the soil is grassy, constituting the traditional summer cattle pasture. The world of flowers that inhabit here is vast: forget-me-not, snow flower, wind flower, Pyrenean lily, Pyrenean borderea, gentians, orchids, purple saxifraga, mountain licorice, etc.
Subalpine
From 1600 to 2200 meters. It is made up of black pine forests, a taiga-type forest mass. It is found in association with rhododendron and blueberries, forming an ombrophilous forest.
Wet vegetation
It occurs in the lower part of the valley, up to 1600 meters above sea level where fog is frequent. It consists of beech forests (scarce), fir forests and mixed deciduous tree masses together with riparian forests, mainly made up of ash, willow and poplar trees.
Wildlife
The surroundings of Aneto, with its varied ecosystems, contain a high level of animal biodiversity. Each plant layer is home to a unique fauna that is clearly differentiated from the rest.
In the high mountains, the ptarmigan, the wallcreeper, the small alpine accentor, the marmot, the common salamander and the snow vole coexist. In the middle of the mountains you can see the Pyrenean chamois or chamois, the golden eagle or the white stoats. The dense forests are the habitat of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, the Goshawk, the Cuckoo and an endless number of little birds.
Between threat and extinction
Some of the animal species that once became extinct in a large part of the Iberian Peninsula or Europe continue to exist in the forests, rivers, cliffs and inaccessible corners of the Pyrenees. In many cases their presence is a sign of the good state of conservation of the environment, although most are in a critical situation of survival.
Decades since the disappearance of the brown bear in the massif and in most of the mountain range. Only two to three bears remain on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, specifically in the western valleys of Alto Aragón. In the nearby Gallic valleys of Aspe and Ossau there is a maximum population of eleven specimens. Attacks on livestock or the presence of tracks and traces are normally the only indications of their presence, since seeing it is practically impossible.
The boreal lynx, similar to the Iberian lynx, suffered a great regression throughout Europe, which led it to extinction in the central massifs, such as that of La Maladeta. In the mid-mountain forests of the outer Pyrenean mountains, its existence is still probable. The Tena Valley biopark has recently achieved captive reproduction.
There are only three references to the alpine shrew in the Maladeta massif, all of them at the end of the XIX century, above 2000 meters of altitude. Its existence is unknown to biologists and naturalists.
The Pyrenean ibex, or bucardo, had a wide distribution centuries ago. However, hunting cornered this species in the shade of the Ordesa Valley. There is no record of more than three specimens, the only ones in the world.
The bearded vulture, half eagle and half vulture, has the largest populations in the entire western Palearctic in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
The beech, fir and black pine forests with abundant understory of rhododendrons in Aneto-Maladeta, Posets and Cotiella make up the ideal habitat for capercaillie.
Its close relative, the ptarmigan, was cornered on the highest floors and peaks of the massif as the ice receded from the Quaternary glaciations.
The otter still lives in the waters of the Alto Ésera, although river pollution, the destruction of riverbanks and canyoning have brought its species to a critical situation.
First ascents
The following are the names of the pioneers in each discipline:
- by the valley of Coronas: Platon de Tchihatcheff, Albert de Franqueville, Jean Sors Argarot, Pierre Sanio, Bernard Arrazau Ursule, and Pierre Redonnet Nate (20 July 1842);
- by the glacier of the Aneto: Platon de Tchihatcheff, Auguste Laurent, Pierre Sanio, Bernrad Arrazau Ursule and Pierre Redonnet Nate (24 July);
- absolute female: Ernestine Tavernier (10 August 1849);
- Spanish: Jean Manuel and Fraçoise Manuel de Harreta (August 1855);
- overnight at the top: Henry Russell, Captain Hoskins and Jean Capdeville (17 July 1865);
- solo: Henry Russell (9 August 1871);
- by the Barrancs valley: Henry Russell, Firmin Barrau and César Cier (7 July 1876);
- winter: Roger de Monts, Bertrand and Barthèlèmy Courrèges and Victor Paget Chapelle (12 March 1879);
- on the south side: José Nariño, Jean Haurillon and Pierre Cantaloup (1 September 1879);
- by the Aneto Sword: Georges, Henryi, Albert, Édouard and Charles Cadier (8 August 1901).
- Spanish women: Montserrat Mestre de Baladia (19 September 1902).
- skiing: Louis Falisse, Maurice Heïd, Louis Robach and Charles Aubry (4 April 1904).
- by the Attractions: Jaume Oliveras and Antoni Arenas (24 July 1906).
- by the crest of Llosás: Henri and Roger Brulle, and Germain Castagné (16 July 1913).
- by the northeast crest: René Grange and Pedro Borés (14 July 1934).
- on the north side: Jean Escudier, Jean-Victor Parant and Jean Grelier (6 September 1935).
- In complete autonomy left from the Atlantic Ocean by Louis-Philippe Loncke (19 August 2020)
Routes to reach the top
Spurred by the suffered state of its glaciers, by the literature that it drags along or, simply, by being the top of the Pyrenees, taught in all schools and offering a unique view, a multitude of people go there at any time of the year to the valley of Benasque trying to reach the summit of Aneto.
Although most of the routes are easy, it is a demanding summit due to factors such as the accumulated unevenness to be overcome, the height and the presence of the glacier. The ascent of the Aneto exceeds the category of hiking or hiking, and enters the field of mountaineering.
For all the routes and at all times of the year, hard mountain boots, crampons, ice ax, warm and waterproof clothing, gloves and glasses are required. On difficult routes or for people with vertigo, in addition, rope and harness or lazy with a carabiner.
Special attention deserves the crossing of the glacier, which always carries risks. In addition, due to the frequent storms that occur during the afternoon, it is common for those who intend to reach the summit to start the ascent at dawn to reach the top soon.
This peak is one of the highest in the mountain range, especially in summer. Almost every year there is a fatality.
Approach
From Benasque, the course of the Ésera river leads to the tail of the Paso Nuevo dam, where the Senarta plan is located. From there you can take the track that goes up the Vallibierna valley (about 8 km) to the Coronas bridge (1950 m), next to an unguarded fishermen's refuge.
On the contrary, the road reaches the Hospital plan and then the Besurta plan (1900 m). From there, turned into a path and then into a trail, it takes about 45 minutes to access the La Renclusa refuge (2,160 m).
Throughout the summer both the Vallibierna track and the Besurta track from the hospital ford are closed to private traffic. There is a bus service from Benasque that allows access to both the Coronas bridge and the Besurta. In winter, snow prevents access from the hospital to the shelter.
Normal path (F+)
La Besurta - A Renclusa - Portillón Superior - Aneto Glacier - Collado de Coronas - Paso de Mahoma - Summit (1504 m unevenness)
It leaves La Besurta (1900 m) along the La Renclusa path, which is perfectly signposted. From there (2,149 m) a stony path marked by numerous milestones emerges. The route takes a SE direction, parallel to the crest of the gates, which ascends from the base of the Renclusa peak to the Maladeta peak.
You can cross the ridge through the lower (2,738 m) or upper (2,870 m) gate. The gates are holes in the crest that connect the Maladeta glacier with the Aneto glacier. In summer it is more advisable to go through the upper one, to reach the higher glacier and shorten the passage between the blocks, very dangerous with ice. You can also climb from the bottom to the top by the crest itself.
A gentle diagonal across the glacier ascends to the Col de Coronas (3198 m).
Then a steep snow slope awaits, until you reach the top and the "Paso de Mohammed" (about 30 m), of little difficulty (II) but very aerial and exposed. On weekends and summer holidays there are such crowds that their passage becomes more annoying than dangerous.
The descent can be done along the same route or, if there is abundant snow, to the left of the glacier to the Aigualluts plain. This is the best option when climbing in winter or spring on backcountry skis. To the right of the glacier you reach the Barrancs valley, through which you also reach the Aigualluts plain.
Route of Crowns
Senarta - Vallibierna - Puente de Coronas - Ibones de Coronas - Glacier de Coronas - Collado de Coronas - Paso de Mahoma - Summit (1454 m unevenness)
The route begins at the Coronas bridge (1950 m), next to the fishermen's refuge, about 8 km of track from the Senarta plan.
On the old logging road (now GR-11), after 10 minutes there is a detour to the left in the direction of the Coronas valley. A well-marked path reaches the ibonet de Coronas (2,230 m).
Following the milestones or stone cairns you will reach the second Ibón de Coronas (2725 m). To the right of it we reach the moraine of the almost extinct Coronas glacier, with snow in winter and spring and stones in summer and autumn. At the end of the ascent, and after a short climb, the Coronas pass (3198 m) is reached.
Once at the pass, the route to the top follows the same path as in the Normal, as well as the descent.
Barancs Valley Route
Llanos de la Besurta - Plan de Aigualluts - Aneto Glacier - Pass of Mahoma - Summit (1504 m unevenness)
This is the route most used by mountain skiers to descend the Aneto, as it offers an uninterrupted drop of more than 1,200 meters, one of the best in the entire mountain range. This great uniform and constant slope is the main reason that it is not used much for climbing.
It starts from the Llanos de la Besurta on the way to the refuge, but soon you have to take another well-marked path that heads towards the Plan de Aigualluts.
There are two alternatives there: take a path marked with milestones next to the green metal hut at the north end of the Plan, or continue to the bottom and go up the Barrancs river to practically the narrowing on which the lake is of Barrancs.
The snow reaches far below until June, and when it clears it reveals large scree and higher up bedrock smoothed by the receding glacier. Much higher up will appear the black ice that must not be abandoned until the Coronas pass. Here the route joins that of the Portillones. But if desired, it is not necessary to reach the col as the top slope can be attacked directly. When the snow has receded, this long climb contains milestones marking several possible paths. The problem caused by this inflation of milestones and the lack of a well-defined path is not very serious, since Aneto will set the course for the climber.
Route behind the Aneto river
Llanos de la Besurta - Barrancs Lake - Barrancs Glacier - Summit (1500 m of unevenness)
It is a very long route and somewhat compromised, more than because of its difficulty due to how remote it is and because when the snow recedes it can be very tiring to climb up the cirque rocks. It is much more comfortable to attack it when the snow drops to at least 2600 meters of altitude.
The main attraction of this route lies in the fact that it is not used by anyone, even if it is not more difficult than the crowded route of Los Portillones. It is considered by many the most exciting way to reach the summit without resorting to climbing. This route is actually a variant of the Barrancs route with which it shares the path until very close to the Barrancs lake.
There it continues through the valley, overcomes the steep step that damms the lake and once the North Ridge is passed, which descends directly from Aneto, turns ninety degrees to the southwest and begins to ascend through the impressive eastern cirque of Aneto to the Barrancs glacier.
The Barrancs glacier steepens considerably in its final stretch. After overcoming it we will end up in the Espalda de Aneto, at 3350 meters of altitude. From there you just have to follow the easy ridge to the summit, bypassing Mohammed's Pass.
Other routes
- Way of the barefoot
- Cresta
- Corridor Theseen
- Renclusa-Aigualluts
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