The Balaitús (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) or Pic du Balaïtous ( French) ( an, Pico Os Moros; oc, Vathleitosa) is a

granitic A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz- ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

of 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 ...

, located right on the border between

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 ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Balaitús marks the starting point of the ''High Pyrenees''. Its height is AMSL, and it is the nearest mountain to the Atlantic coast to surpass . Its name may come from the Occitan words "vath" (

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

) and "leitosa" (

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

y). Another Spanish name for the mountain is Pico de los Moros (''

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

' peak''). It separates the Spanish

Tena Valley The Tena Valley is a valley located at the southern side of the Pyrenees, in the Alto Gállego comarca, province of Huesca, and is crossed by the Gállego river from north to south. Its main town is Sallent de Gállego. The valley is surrounded ...

(

Sallent de Gállego Sallent de Gállego (in Aragonese: ''Sallent de Galligo'' or ''Sallén de Galligo'') is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. The town is located in the central Pyrenees besides the reservoir of Lanuza on the foot o ...

) from the French Val d'Azun.

Climbing history

The first ascent was of the peak was made in 1825 by French geodesic technicians ''Peytier'' and ''Hossard''. The second ascent was made in 1864 by Charles Packe.

Routes

There are several ascent routes to the summit, none of them are easy, mainly because of the vertical drop of from all directions. From France the most frequent route goes through ''Las Neous''

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

starting from any of the refuges nearby: ''Larribet'' (2,060 m), ''Balaïtous (G. Ledormeur)'' (1,970 m) or ''Arrémoulit'' (2,305 m). From Spain the route starts at ''La Sarra'' car park, near

, climbing via the ''Arriel''

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s or the ''Respumoso'' lake. Ascent to Balaïtous through Brecha Latour
/ref>

References

External links

* Mountains of Aragon Mountains of the Pyrenees Pyrenean three-thousanders {{Aragon-geo-stub

Geography

Climbing history

Routes

See also

References

External links