The Pic du Midi d'Ossau (; ; 2,884 m) is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
rising above the
Ossau Valley in the
French Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
. Despite possessing neither a
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
nor, in the context of the range, a particularly high summit, its distinctive shape makes it a symbol of the French side of the Pyrenees. This familiar shape also makes it easily recognisable from afar, and it is particularly distinctive from the
Boulevard des Pyrénées in
Pau, some 55 km to the north.
Appearance
As normally seen from the north, the mountain presents itself as having two distinct peaks, although from the south two other summits are also visible. It stands separate from any surrounding peaks, being largely surrounded by the valleys of the
Gave de Bious, to the west, and the
Gave du Brousset, to the east. These two mountain streams come together in the hamlet of
Gabas at the foot of the mountain's northern slopes, to form the
Gave d'Ossau.
The Pic du Midi d'Ossau was reputedly first climbed in 1552 by an expedition led by
François de Foix-Candale, later to become the
Bishop of Aire. Although the success of this first climb is disputed, it is known that the mountain had been successfully climbed by 1787 when a military surveyor noted that a
triangulation cairn had been built on the summit. The first fully recorded climb was by
Guillaume Delfau accompanied by Mathieu (an
Eaux-Bonnes shepherd) on October 2, 1797.
The mountain offers many routes of ascent; the ''voie normale'' is a serious scramble and rock climb with a grading of PD, II+, 550 m. It approaches the summit via the Refuge de Pombie, a
Club Alpin Francais owned
mountain hut
A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...
situated at , and requires most of a day to execute.
Politically, the mountain lies within the
''commune'' of Laruns, in the
''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the
Aquitaine region of France. It lies within the fully protected area of the
Pyrenees National Park.
References
External links
Mountain details from SummitPost.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midi d'Ossau
Mountains of the Pyrenees
Mountains of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Tourist attractions in Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Two-thousanders of France