The Vignemale (; Occitan: ''Vinhamala'', Aragonese: ''Comachibosa'',

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

: ''Vinyamala''), at 3,298 metres, is the highest of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Pyrenean summits (the highest in the whole of the range is Pic d'

Aneto Aneto (''pic d'Aneto'' in 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, the northernmost of ...

). It lies on the border between the Department of

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

(''Nauts Pirenèus'' / ''Hauts Pirenèus''), in Occitanie and

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

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 ...

and

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. T ...

, in

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

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 s ...

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") , ...

, and the peak is split between the two countries. The Vignemale is the name given to the mountain

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 ...

in French, which also straddles into Spain. It consists of several distinct summits, the predominant ones being Grand Vignemale or Pique-Longue (in French) / Pica Longa (in Occitan and Catalan) / Punda de Comabichosa (in Aragonese) (3298 m),

Pointe Chausenque La Pointe Chausenque, culminating at 3,204 m is a summit in the Massif du Vignemale in the French Pyrenees. Topography Virtually as high as the glacier d'Ossoue to the south, it dominates from 600 m le glacier des Oulettes to the north.It is th ...

/ Punta Chausenca (3,204 m) and

Petit Vignemale Petite or petite may refer to: *Petit (crater), a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater on Mare Spumans * ''Petit'' (EP), a 1995 EP by Japanese singer-songwriter Ua * Petit (typography), another name for brevier-size type * Petit four * Petit Gâteau * ...

/ Petita Vinhamala (3,032 m). The Vignemale is also the site of the second largest of the Pyrenean

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 a ...

s (after the one on Aneto), the Ossoue / Osso (with around 0.6 km²), across which the "voie normale", or standard route to the summit travels. One of its most dramatic aspects is the North Face upon which lie a number of serious ascent routes requiring skill and commitment. Below the North Face is the impressively situated mountain refuge - the ''Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube'' / ''Refugi d’eths Oletas de Gauba''. The approach from the north entails a delightful walk up to and around the picturesque

Lac de Gaube Gaube Lake (in French: ''Lac de Gaube'') is a lake in the French Pyrenees, in the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées, near the town of Cauterets. Name The lake's name is tautological, in that ''gaube'' in the Gascon language Gascon ...

/ Gauba giving increasingly dramatic views of the mountain. Almost synonymous with the Vignemale is the name of Count Henry Russell, an eccentric of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

who developed a lifelong passion for the mountain. The first documented, "official" ascent of this peak was by English landowner and traveller

Anne Lister Anne Lister (3 April 1791 – 22 September 1840) was an English diarist, famous for revelations for which she was dubbed "the first modern lesbian". Lister was from a minor landowning family at Shibden in Calderdale, West Riding of Yorkshir ...

and three local guides in 1838."Vinhamala o Comachibosa (3298m) pel corredor de la Moskowa, vall de l'Ara"
''Muntanyaviva.cat'', 2007 (in Catalan). ccessed 12/05/2019/ref>

Gallery

File:Count Henry Russell 2.jpg, Count Henry Russell in front of one of his caves on the Vignemale

References

External links

Count Henry Russell's caves on the Vignemale
{{Authority control Mountains of Hautes-Pyrénées Mountains of Aragon Mountains of the Pyrenees Pyrenean three-thousanders International mountains of Europe France–Spain border Highest points of French national parks