
| I've summitted Pena Vieja on many occasions, here are some specials. First in '81 with my family and Alison (who had never been anywhere near a mountain before.) I experienced my first mar de nubes at approx. 2,400m. Our descent down the Canal de Vidrios & into the cloud became v. interesting. Our path stopped at the top of one of those desperate gulleys, with my father about to abseil into the abyss, I spotted a cairn off to the left in a window thru the mist. Safely in Aliva, looking back up at the soaring, smooth, vertical walls of our aborted descent gully, disappearing into the clouds, I couldn't help but feel we had so nearly become another statistic of this great & noble mountain.
How we all owe those windows in the mist!
May 1989 - managed to reach within 100m of the summit on telemark skis.
May 1993 - skinned to the summit on touring skis with "Guti".
August 1993 - via the Espelon Franceses, led by Nick Longland and Chris Cullen.
June 2000 - stopping 20m short of the summit on snowshoes with Marcus Linell and electricity buzzing around.
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