lundi 7 septembre 2009

Pic de Lampau and Pic de Pomebrunet


Mont Valier (left), Pomebrunet and Lampau (right) from my house. I traversed the
skyline from Lampau to the lowest point in the middle of the photo - Col de Crusous

Pic de Pomebrunet (right) from Pic de Lampau

Set off from Col de la Core (1395m) at 8.30 this morning (later than planned) so pushed the pace to make up time. I climbed to the Col de Crouzette (2237m) and then descended to the Cabane Espugues where a helicopter was ferrying materials from the valley as it's currently being rebuilt.

Je suis parti de Col de la Core à 8.30 (un peu tardif) donc j'ai marché vite. J'ai ascendu au Col de Crouzette et puis descendu à la Cabane d'Espugues, la un hélicoptère etais porté materiaux de la vallée pour la réconstruction.
The stiff climb from there to Pic de Lampau (2477m) took under an hour and I was on the summit 2hr50mins after leaving the car. A quick snack on the summit and after admiring the view it was time to press on along the ridge to Pic de Pomebrunet (2569m).

L'ascension rude à Pic de Lampau a pris moins qu'une heure et j'ai été au sommet 2hr50 après avoir parti la voiture. Cas crôute au sommet puis après avoir surveillé la vue j'ai continué sur l'arête vers Pic de Pomebrunet.

I've stood here twice before looking for the route of descent from Pic de Lampau. It's scary - there's a steep grassy rake with a 1500ft vertical drop at the end, having avoided slipping you arrive at tiny gravelly notch. To your left the drop, to your right a nasty looking overhanging off-width crack drops for perhaps 10m onto some steep shiny slabs, straight ahead a wafer thin fin of rock inclined at 45 degrees overhangs the drop then seems to end above the abyss. I thought long and hard about the crack but it just didn't seem possible, so cautiously I edged along the fin. From the far end I could see it was possible with extreme care to descend steeply for another 30m of vertical and so reach the easy ground below - but the rock was rotten and the exposure seemed to unsettle me.

Je me suis levé sur la sommet de Pic de Lampau deux fois avant, cherchant pour la route de descente. Il fait peur - il y a une court pente raide et herbeuse qui finis avec une falaise de 600m, si on ne glisse pas on arrive à un petit col caillouteuse. À gauche l'abîme, à droite une fissure surplombante qui descendre à des dalles glissantes et raides, toute droite une lame de roche fine incliner à 45 degrées et au dessus l'abîme. Je pensais longtemps de la fissure mais enfin j'ai décide d'essayer la lame. De l'extremité de la lame je peux voir une route de descente de 30m, mais c'etais raide sur les mauvaise roche - impressionante!


The descent from Lampau: the off-width crack descends into
the red scar, my descent took the rocks to the right of it.

Carefully down, I followed the ridge for another 1hr 20mins, always narrow and exposed with a succession of rock towers to cross or traverse around eventually to reach Pic de Pomebrunet.

Avec prudence, J'ai poursuivre la crête pendant 1hr20, toujours etroite et arienne avec plusiers gendarmes à traverser ou contourner, enfin à arriver à Pic de Pomebrunet.

Retrospective view of the last section of the ridge before Pic de Pomebrunet

Amazingly there was someone on the summit! A french guy photographing vultures, he'd come up from the Etang de Crusous - my onward route of descent. A narrowish ridge, then a steep grassy descent but much easier than the ridge from Pic de Lampau. I thought of turning left to climb Pic de Caries but that looks pretty scary and I'd had enough.

Incroyable il y a un autre au sommet! Un français qui etais photographer les vultures, il a fair l'ascension de Etang de Crusous - ma route de descente. Un arête peu etroite puis les pentes herbeuse et raides, mais plus façile que la route de Lampau. J'ai pensé de fait l'ascension de Pic de Caries mais j'en ai assez.

Looking from the peak towards Mont Valier and the easier descent ridge

On the long walk back to the car I suffered from the earlier fast pace and lack of water (burst platypus). Only 1670m of height gain but I was knackered at the end of the day and my feet are sore.

Au retour j'ai suffri de l'approche vite et j'ai manqué d'eau. Seulement 1670m de dénivilée mais j'etais fatigué.

2 commentaires :

Anne a dit…

So irritating, one can never be left alone!

Lee Sharp a dit…

It has to be one of the least visited summits in the Pyrenees and someone else is there on a quiet September Monday! Iceland looks fantastic by the way.