Ascent to the Frondellas’ Peak from La Sarra, with snow

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About The Route

Essentially, I combined the two normal routes, already submited in this website, to Frondellas’ Peak from La Sarra: Comba Vallot to climb it and Arriel Lakes for the descent. The whole tour is a magnificent way to know both faces of this mountain, accessible but with some class, variety and of great alpine atmosphere. My initial intention was to climb also the Frondellas’ Southwestern Peak but, when I got to its base, the ledges that allow to climb with certain ease the wall were full of slush and I did not want to risk myself too much… and anyway I had my summit of the day.

I have the impression that it is easier with snow than in dry: according to the guides, in summer Comba Vallot route passes onto the Ledormeur Spur, which makes me think that the ascent by the own valley must be very laborious. I saw more natural and logical to stay in its axis while the slope is moderate; even, not surpassing 60º, the top couloir is a reasonable alternative to the chimney by which I ended up raising to the spur.
The whole itinerary was: La Sarra - Respomuso - Comba Vallot - Frondellas - Arriel Lakes - La Sarra. You can see it in the following image:



I did it in two days, the first going from La Sarra to Respomuso. But I think that to sleep in Respomuso is not indispensable. The complete route is perfectly feasible in only one day: I finished before 3 in the afternoon, which supposes that finishing at 5 it could have been completed in a single day (and that time includes the attempt to Frondella SW).

You can find details, comments and technical data in the parent objects (routes and mountains) of this page. I want only to add that, with snow, there is a maximum slope of 50º. If you don't reach the top of Ledormeur Spur but follow the couloir directly to the ridge, the maximum will be about 60º.

If you don't understand completely the text on this page or you want to practice another languages or simply you are a little eager, you can find the original issue in Spanish of this page in the website Pirineos3000.com
(hay una versión en español de esta página en Pirineos3000.com)

Narrative

1.- The Approach

At about 3 PM, after a six hours-car trip from home, I left La Sarra dam towards Respomuso hut. The afternoon was cloudy but, at that moment, it looked without precipitation risk. I took the long distance marked path GR.11, that enters in the valley of the Aguas Limpias river, coloured in green under the white and grey mass of Garmo Carnicero. The walking is placid, by an ample path that goes up gradually, first under the greenish shade of the forest and later through an open slope. When I arrived at last to the top of the of Respomuso’s dam, its water surface appeared semi-frozen, under the pyramidal peak of Llena Cantal, surrounded by the clouds that were becoming more dense. It’s incredible to see so much snow in June! It was 5:30 PM when I arrived to Respomuso hut, where I would spent the night, and a few minutes later, it began to snow slightly. It was curious to see the hut full of people, like at the height of summer but with the snow falling outside, slight but constantly.

2.- The ascent: Spur Ledormeur

The morning after, a cleared day rose, as you can see in this view from the door of the refuge. Really, I could have got up earlier: it was 7:30 when I left the hut from its back to begin the ascent. I took the footpath that goes up the Respomuso Stream through a stony slope on its right bank and moves away from the bed to enter a short corridor of low steep that goes round a little prominence in the slope. The snow began to be continuous from there. At its top, I arrived at a col and, in front of me, appeared the big hole of Vuelta Barrada dominated by Cresta del Diablo (Devils Ridge), shadowy and frosted in that cold morning.

I turned then to the left (W), to go up along a wide, medium steep, snow-covered ridge. I raised first following some landmarks and then, direct upwards with the reference of the southern end of Le Bondidier Ridge; a big crag on which base there is a landing. I could see Frondellas’ Ridge, that begining to show above it. This is the entrance to Comba Vallot, a little hanged valley under Frondellas’ Ridge. I went up, more or less along its axis but rounded some undulations, taking my route where it was more comfortable. Anyway, the slope never exceeded 30º.

At this point, the guides recommend to climb Ledormeur Spur but, with all this snow in perfect conditions, I preferred to continue in the axis of the “Comba”. As I was gaining heigh, far mountains began to show over the nearer ridges around… and the amount of snow was incredible that season. The ascent was beautiful and quiet… I did not see anyone since I left the main route to Balaitous. When I arrived at the base of the top corridor, the tilt increases to over 45º and up there it looks still more steep. I saw then, on the left, a clearly shaped chimney that reaches Ledormeur Spur’s top (arrow in the right photo), seemingly not very difficult.

Unfortunately, I did not take a good picture of it but I will try to describe it. After climbing a snow slope up to 50º, I arrived at the foot of the chimney, that is about 10 m tall and have good, solid and abundant holds (II). As frozen snow filled the fissures and ledges, I climbed with crampons. In any case, I believe that to reach the ridge by the corridor could have a similar difficulty and the choice is a matter of personal preferences (rock / snow). Below there is a photo downwards, from the top of the chimney. From there, a snow slope rises towards the blue sky, wich top looks like a summit. But I soon discovered that it was only a slope change in the ridge. I went directly to that point, through a white and blue world, with no rock within sight.

When arriving at the ridge, a great hole appeared to my feet, with the Mount Balaitous standing, astonishing, on the other side. While I was absolutely alone in my modest peak (or at least that was what I thought), the summit of one of the biggest mountains of the Pyrenees was full of small dots… Was there a party? Well, I had not seen anybody throughout the morning but last night the hut was full to burst; I already could see where all this people had gone. The summit of Frondellas’ Peak was very close, at the end of one short ridge, slightly exposed but easy. I had to cross a narrow col, where the top couloir of Comba Vallot ends, having to climb one step of about two meters, vertical and frozen but easy and without hard exposure.

Reaching the summit, a noise surprised me and I saw a pyrenean chamois (rupicapra pyrenaica) leaving the place by Le Bondidier Ridge. It’s peculiar to find these tiny beasts so hight. Finally it was shortly after 10 when I was on the summit. The temperature was very good, a slight breeze was blowing nice and the views were wonderfull; so I was there for a long time. Through this link, you can see a 360º panoramic view. In addition to Balaitous, highlighted Mount Vignemale, shining like a crystal castle in the distance.

3.- The descent: Valley of Arriel

But I had to resume way, so shortly before 11 I left the Frondellas’ Peak by the ridge towards the southwest. I walked until reaching the Central Frondella’s Peak, a ligth prominence that the snow still moderates more. The snow makes some curious shapes in the ridge between both peaks. To walk along it’s easy and quiet. A pain to finish.

Suddenly, when reaching a ridges crossing, the ground fell abruptly towards a zone of needles and breachs, with the Southwestern Frondella’s Peak standing to the other side. Here, I turned to the right (NW) to take the ridge that falls to that side, called Wallon, or rather the snow slope at its left side, that seemed to be most viable, not surpassing 40º. Although it has some sharpened section, it is easy to go down until a shoulder where there is an abrupt fall. Then, I continue down by the slope of the left (SW), towards the bottom of a valley that descents towards Arriel Lakes. As the beginning of the slope is very steep, surpassing 50º, and the snow was still hard, I gone down diagonally and carefully. In the photo, three skiers goes up towards the shoulder by this slope; they were the only people that I found between the normal route to Balaitous and Arriel Lakes.

Then, I progressed maintaining level to the west to go to the base of Southwestern Frondella’s Peak. To reach the rock, I had to overcome a slope of 60º. When arriving, the surprise appears: being 11:30, in spite of being in the mountain’s north face, there is a lot of very unstable slush, making the ascent dangerous, more than difficult. Possibly, the matter was not the heat but the freshness: that snow must be fallen last evening or night. After trying to climb by two places, first the diagonal ledge that cuts the peak’s face and after a steep gully that reaches the northwest ridge (“x” in the photo), I discarded to climb this summit and returned on my steps to the axis of the valley. After having lost one hour in all that, I began one fast descent toward Arriel. The snow was more and more soft. The valley is full of undulations and I was drawing my way among them, looking for the best pendings: fast but not too much. The peaks of Arriel, Lurien and Pallas conform a luxury scenery in front of me.

In the lower part of the descent, there was some little cliffs, that I surrounded by where it seemed better to me, until reaching the bottom of Arriel Valley, where the snow finished in a little meadow dominated by the impressive slope, crowned by Frondellas’ Ridge, that I just went down. From there, I followed the stream down, toward southwest, by a clear path or abundant tracks in the snow.

The way took me to surround some small lakes, separated by narrow passages. This is a very visited area and I meet many people. After one of this, the land opens in the valley of Aguas Limpias River. The footpath, tilt and decomposed now, led me downwards. When I reached the GR.11, I took it to the right, to undone my previous steps to return to La Sarra, where I arrived before 3 in the afternoon.

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