Cregüeña-Brecha de Alba

Overview

The approach to Pico de Alba from Puente de Cregüeña is not the normal and is very long (total slope of 1700m!!!). This route have interest as alternative to climb the Gendarme de Alba (3054m) both with the main summit, but many people climb it using the normal route descending the ridge to the secondary summit because it's in the official list of UIAA of peaks over 3000m.

Another good option if you have two cars is to use this route as descent after the climb of normal route from La Besurta across the Refuge de La Renclusa.

Time: 5h
Slope: 1700m

Getting There

Approach to Benasque from Huesca: in the road on direction to Barbastro (N-240). After Barbastro we'll follow the indication to valley of Benasque to the C-1311 to Graus and the C-139 to Benasque across the beautiful gorge of Congosto de Ventanillo.

-Puente de Cregüeña (1490m): in the road from Benasque to Hospital de Benasque we'll take the crossroad to Baños de Benasque, before the Puente de Lliterola, and in the road we'll take the first track to right. The forest track descent to a first bridge where we'll don't cross and we'll follow the track to right to Puente de Cregüeña with a signal of the peak near of a hut

Route Description

We'll begin in the narrow path in the forest just in the great signal of Puente de Cregüeña (1490m). Always we'll follow the cairns in hard ramps in the forest. After a very long zig-zag we'll walk across wide plains near of the river to reach a new ramp to reach a small lake, the ibonet de Cregüeña. In this point we'll leave the route of Lake of Cregüeña (right, East) to walk without path across some big blocks of stone in direction to the gap in the ridge of fifteen gendarmes. The gap of entry is visible between the third and second gendarme (aiguilles). The second gendarme is the Aguja or Gendarme de Alba (3054m). The channel of access to brecha is very pronounced with a lot of small stones and it need the use of the hands in some points (F.+). In a narrow col under the aiguilles we'll turn to right side, in the other side of the ridge (west side) under the second aiguille. A new climb of II- goes to the back of the aiguille. A little descent is necessary to reach the bottom of aiguille in right side and we'll climb the wall of II- to this summit of Gendarme de Alba (3054m). The rest of the ridge is easiest with some step-crossings of I+ to reach the First gendarme de Alba (3088m) and the last meters are very easy to reach the summit of Pico de Alba (3118m).

Essential Gear

Crampons and ice-axe early in the season (spring).
Rope only if you don't have experience in rock-climbs of grade II and if you want to make a rappel (two ropes of 30m or one rope of 60m) from the summit of Pico de Alba to col inf de Alba to climb the peak Diente de Alba. This wall is IV- and the rappel is very advisable.

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