Aneto

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Aneto is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. It lies in the Spanish province of Huesca, in the north of Aragon. It forms the southernmost part of the Maladeta massif. It is also known as Pic de Néthou in French, though this is little-used as the mountain lies entirely within Spain.

Aneto holds the largest glacier in Spain, covering 162 ha in 2001; it is shrinking rapidly due to climate change (it covered 692 ha in 1890, and 302 ha in 1991) and with current trends is expected to disappear completely between 2050 and 2070.

Climbing

The mountain's ascent is usually made from the Refuge of the Rencluse (2,140 m). From there, the itinerary traverses the longest part of the glacier that extends to the north of the peak. The summit is defended by a short rocky passage called the Bridge of Mohammed. It is a narrow ridge of large, stable blocks, with an exposed void on each side. At the summit is an impressive cross and a contrasting view, with the snow-covered Maladeta massif north and the Alto Aragon region to the south.

First Ascent

On 18 July 1842, Platon de Tchihatcheff (Чихачёв, Chikhachev), a former Russian officer staying in Luchon, left from Bagnères-de-Luchon accompanied by guides Pierre Sanio de Luz, Luchonnais Bernard Arrazau and Pierre Redonnet. Also in the party were Albert de Franqueville, a Norman botanist, and his guide, Jean Sors. They took the trail from the Hospice de France, crossed the Benasque pass, then spent the night at the shelter of La Renclusa, a simple construction of dry rocks that is now a large mountain refuge.

The next day, they crossed a pass towards Alba pass and lost their way on the south slope around lake Gregueña. Late in the day, at the end of their strength, they took refuge for the night in a cabin near the Vallibierna valley.

As the sun rose the next morning, the group left for the Coroné pass. Despite a fear of crevasses, they decided to approach the summit by the glacier. After climbing a ridge only a few metres wide (named the "Bridge of Mahoma" by Albert de Franqueville), they reached the summit on 20 July 1842, where they constructed a cairn and left a bottle containing each climber's name.

First Winter Ascent

The first winter ascent of the mountain was achieved on 1 March 1878 by Roger de Monts, B. Courrèges, and B. and V. Paget. The first woman was Ms Marshall on 14th July 1848.

Air traffic boundary

An aviation intersection called ANETO exists very close to the mountain itself, exactly on the border of France and Spain. For pilots crossing the Pyrenees this intersection marks the boundary between the Bordeaux and Barcelona airspaces.

References

External links

• Info on Climbing Aneto

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Last updated on Sunday February 03, 2008 at 11:22:15 PST (GMT -0800)
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