Ossoue-ridge West

Overview

This is the shortest route to climb Monferrat, but many mountaineers make as well the full South ridge of Vignemale with the peaks Central and Cerbillona.

Getting There

See the main page to approach to trailheads.

See the route Glacier d'Ossoue to approach to glacier.

Route Description

After 3h from Barrage d'Ossoue or 1h from Bayssellance you'll arrive to glacier d'Ossoue.

After you have arrived at the glacial tongue of Ossoue, you have seen already our top to the left but you will leave the crevasses and you will direct to the right continuing the normal route very frequented of the Grand Vignemale. After it to have surpassed the zone of crevasses (cracks) the options to reach the top will depend on the height that reach the snow.

-If the snow is still high under the ridge the best option is turn to left in direction to the rocky wall turning to left near of the rocks across some ramp of hard-snow (30º, posibility of ice) searching the wide col under our peak in its west ridge near of point 3184m.

-If the snow is low, the ramp have a mixed zone not good to walk with crampons and generally the climbers go directly to the rocky ridge. In this case the ridge is very narrow and very exposed in one point (II-) to cross to the point 3184m after the descent to a wide col.

In the wide col before the summit you'll walk to the bottom of the final ridge and you'll search the step crossing with an exposed but easy rock climb (I+ or II-) to reach the first summit walking after it to the main summit of Montferrat. It have impressive views of all the Vignemale Massif.

Essential Gear

Crampons and ice-axe all the year.
Rope? it's a good idea if we don't have experience in rock climbs of P.D.inf. because the fall is great.

External Links

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Images

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