Maladeta (3,312 m) is a mountain in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

, close to the highest peak in the range,

Aneto Aneto (''pic d'Aneto'' in French language, French, formerly ''pic de Néthou'') is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third-highest mountain, reaching a height of . It stands in the Spanish province of Huesca (provi ...

. It is located in the

Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

in the town of

Benasque Benasque (; in Benasquese dialect: ''Benás''; an, Benás) () is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, (Spain). It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest p ...

Province of Huesca Huesca ( an, Uesca, ca, Osca), officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca. Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Haute-Ga ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its northern slope contains the Maladeta Glacier, which is divided into the Western Maladeta and the Eastern Maladeta. Maladeta was previously considered to be highest peak in the area, and attempts to reach its summit took priority over the other peaks in the range. The first successful ascent of the peak was made by

Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot (14 October 1791) was a Baltic German naturalist, explorer, and mountaineer, who lived and worked in Dorpat (today Tartu, Estonia) in what was then the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire. A pion ...

with guide Pierre Barrau in 1817.

Etymology

The name "Maladeta" comes from the Spanish ''montes malditos'', which means "Damned Mountains". According to some authorities the local name for the massif was ''Mala hita'' ("bad rocks" or "bad upper regions"). When French travellers came to the region they translated the name into the French as "Maladette", on the basis that it was cognate with the Italian term ''Maladetta'' (feminine for "damned"). Subsequently, the mountain became known as Maladeta, a term that encompasses the entire massif.

History

While not the highest peak in the local group of mountains, Maladeta was named for the entire group, which is also called Montes Malditos. It attracted the most interest from climbers, especially in the early nineteenth century, as its summit appears in the foreground from the natural entrance to the valley via the port of

or when arriving from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. From this vantage point, the Cresta Portillones hides the true height of its eastern neighbour

, which is taller and has more extensive glaciers. The first attempts to reach the peak were by

Ramond Ramond is a surname, and may refer to: *Louis Ramond de Carbonnières (1755–1827), French politician, geologist and botanist, who gave his name to the Société Ramond *Pierre Ramond Pierre Ramond (; born 31 January 1943) is distinguished profess ...

in 1787, Ferrieres in 1801, and

Louis Cordier Pierre Louis Antoine Cordier (31 March 1777 – 30 March 1861)
Annales.org, accessed 20 September 2009 was a French

in 1802. It wasn't until German naturalist

, with guide Pierre Barrau, climbed to the summit of the mountain on 28 September 1817 that Aneto was discovered to be higher. Pierre Barrau, considered to be the leading expert in the area, was killed in a crevice of the Maladeta glacier in 1824. As a result, locals became fearful of venturing out on the ice, considering it cursed. The movement of the glacier in 1931 exposed the body. In the early twentieth century, the Refugio de la Renclusa

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization d ...

was opened. It has a capacity of 93 and is the most common starting point for climbing the Aneto. It is located above sea level and is accessed via a path that leaves from the La Besurta recreational area. Due to the variety of wildlife in the valleys and the sensitivity of its glaciers (the most southerly in Europe), Maladeta was declared a natural park in 1994, together with the entire range, and part of the Pyrenean Glaciers Natural Monument.

Geography

Maladeta rises to above sea level in the heart of the Pyrenees along the border between France and Spain. The summit is located northeast of the Province of Huesca and occupies the centre of the Montes Malditos. It is connected to Aneto to the east by a row of peaks called the Cresta del Medio (Pico Maldito, Pico del Medio, Pico de Coronas), which, along with the crest of the Portillones, give the appearance of being solid. The snow from its slopes feeds the headwaters of the

Ésera The Ésera (), is a tributary of the Cinca in the High Aragon. It is part of the valley of the Ebro and its drainage basin. Its etymology is Celtic and it is cognate with several European rivers: Isar, Jizera, Isère, Isel, IJssel The IJssel ...

and Ballibierna rivers, both on the south side. The Maladeta range is surrounded by valleys. A hill of over , crowned by the Perdiguero, separates the valley of Arán from France. The wider and more compact Spanish side, which is less accessible, is separated from the foothills by the gorges and ravines of the Posets and Maladeta mountain ranges. The

Cerler Cerler, officially called ''Aramón Cerler'', is a ski resort situated above the village of Cerler in the high Benasque Valley, near the town of Benasque in the central Pyrenees (province of Huesca, Spain). Near Cerler are the highest peaks o ...

alpine

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

lies two valleys further south.

Climbing routes

The

normal route A normal route or normal way (french: voie normale; german: Normalweg) is the most frequently used route for ascending and descending a mountain peak. It is usually the simplest route. Overview In the Alps, routes are classed in the following way ...

of ascent is common to both Maladeta and Aneta up to the height of the upper Portillón. There one continues in a straight line to the bottom of the crest of the Maladeta, which is accessible via a steep passage to a very distinctive and visible rock. The route into the corridor can be very hazardous because a deep

bergschrund A bergschrund (from the German for ''mountain cleft'') or rimaye (from French; ) is a crevasse that forms where moving glacier ice separates from the stagnant ice or firn above. It is often a serious obstacle for mountaineers, who sometimes abb ...

that usually opens in the glacier following the winter. Ascents of the mountain are only recommended for experienced climbers. The

La Renclusa, located in the foothills at , is the usual starting point for ascents of Maladeta and Aneto.

References

{{Authority control Mountains of Aragon Mountains of the Pyrenees Pyrenean three-thousanders

Etymology

History

Geography

Climbing routes

See also

References