The Casque du Marboré, or Casque de Gavarnie or simply le Casque, is a
Pyrenean summit, culminating at , located on the crest of three-thousanders in the
Monte Perdido Range
Monte Perdido (in Spanish; Mont Perdu in French; Mont Perdito in Aragonese; all three meaning ''lost mountain'') is the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees. The summit of Monte Perdido (3355 m), located in Spain, lies hidden from France ...
above
Cirque de Gavarnie on the Franco-Spanish border.
Toponymy
The term ''casque'' (a helmet) was applied to the peak due to its particular shape. The word ''marboré'' means
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
, which is a metamorphic rock found in the area.
Topography
Together with
Tour du Marboré, the
Cascade Peaks, and
Pic de Marboré, it forms the range above
Cirque de Gavarnie (1,500 m above the bottom of the valley marking the border between the
Pyrenees National Park (
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
) and the
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido) is an IUCN Category II National Park situated in the Pyrenees. There has been a National Park in the Ordesa Valley since 1918. Its protected area was enlarged in 1 ...
,
Ordesa Valley),
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. ), The 422 m high ''Gavarnie falls'', the biggest waterfall in Europe, descends from Casque du Marboré.
* French side: located in the commune of
Gavarnie in the canton of
Luz-Saint-Sauveur,
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...
department,
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées (; or ; ) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark. ...
region.
* Spanish side: located in the
comarca
A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...
of
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is a comarca of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the north of Huesca province, making up part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''.
Sobrarbe is a mountainous ...
,
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
province,
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
.
Access
Access from Spain is possible up until the prairies of
Ordesa Valley, or up till
Bujaruelo valley,
From France, one needs to travel to
Gavarnie-Gèdre skiing resort, the nearest area to the summit.
From Ordesa, a 4 hour long upward journey is needed to reach the Goriz refuge (2,190 m ~ base camp needed to explore the area) and then follow the path which leads to
la Brèche de Roland, before arriving at the pass located between la tour du Marboré and le Casque, from which one starts the final ascension.
From Ordesa, one can also reach the pass, going up through the
cirque de Cotatuero or the
Carriata.
From Gavarnie-Gèdre and Bujaruelo, one must go up to the
Sarradets, then reach la brèche de Roland, carry on eastwards until the southern crest slope before finally reaching the pass.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marbore
Mountains of the Pyrenees
Mountains of Hautes-Pyrénées
Mountains of Aragon
Pyrenean three-thousanders