I'll be starting in Salardu and heading towards Colomers Hut and Ventosa... the Besiberri area and the Encantats.

Anyone have some good stories, advice, tips?

Thanks,
Jim

I have been at Refugio Ventosa i Calvell in July 1994 - some snow above the hut, very nice climbing there (classic alpine routes, but also new sport climbing routes)

In 2005, we hiked in the heat of August from Cavallers dam in Val de Boi to Val d'Aran and spent a good few days climbing in the area, first camping and then staying at both of the mentioned refugios.

I came to understand that the Ventosa refugio was recently renovated. Very cozy place. Some of the younger guys tending it are into climbing - and are eager to chat about it. Depending what you are into, there's loads of bolted sport around Ventosa and down the valley at the Cavallers dam, and nice long trad routes that require some approach, and of course a lot of hiking summits. Back then there was no snow except on the highest summits.

We could not fit summiting Besiberri/Comaloforno to our schedule - time was short and there was so much wonderful rock climbing on solid granite to be done. According to some spanish youngsters we were chatting with, from Ventosa refugio it is a normal rather strenuous hike that does not require extra gear - although they confessed they were carrying a scrambling rope with them.

Staying overnight in a tent is allowed in the buffer zone of the national park, not inside the park itself - except when it is a safer option than trying to reach the refugio.. the usual story.

If you get caught camping during daylight by a ranger, like we did after a food poisoning hit both of us and we were in no shape to leave the tent at dawn, you'll get an official notification. Also, my partner did the talking with the ranger (who was checking the area because the prime minister of Andorra was coming to visit the park) and now her name appears on a public web page of Catalonian administration along a good few other foreigners. My Spanish is not good enough to understand what exactly this page says: http://www.gencat.net/diari_c/4764/06306060.htm, and the babelfish translation (http://tinyurl.com/25d6x2) is not too helpful either.

After Ventosa the Colomers refugio was a slight letdown, but still very acceptable. The refugios fill up during the weekends like in any other part of the world, so if you arrive during a weekend, make a reservation. Back then it was surprisingly quiet during the week though.

Guidebook "Roca caliente en los Pirineos vol. II: Cavallers" by Alfonso and Buxo covers all kinds of summer climbing in the area. Available from all the nearby Villages (and Globetrotter in Berlin...). Nice graphics, a vocabulary of maybe 20-30 mountaineering/climbing terms is all that is required to use it. I have the guidebook here so if you need any details about rock climbing in the area feel free to ask.

(Yey, first post!)