Pic de Soularac
2,368 m
France
Also known as Pic de SolaracAlso known as
Pic de Solarac
- Elevation
- 2,368 m
- Prominence
- 1,006 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T2 (Camptocamp (south ridge from the Pas du Gai)) · T4 (rando-marche.fr (per search excerpt))
The usual way from the north: from the Moulzoune forest car park (about 1,290 m) above Montferrier, past old talc workings and the Cabane du Vacher to the Étang des Truites, Étang du Diable and Étang Supérieur, up to the Col du Trou de l'Ours (2,215 m), then a short, steep, partly faint ridge with a couple of easy hands-on moves to the summit. Usually combined with the Pic de Saint-Barthélemy.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,161 m
- −105 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,368 m
- Time Up
- 5h 06m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Montferrier take the road towards the Monts d'Olmes ski station; after about 5 km a drivable dirt track on the left (with some large potholes) leads to parking in the Moulzoune woods below the Étang de Moulzoune. A yellow-waymarked path climbs past the old Fangas talc quarry and the Cabane du Vacher shelter. Take the lakes branch to the Étang des Truites and the Étang du Diable; between the Diable and the Étang Supérieur a steep scree wall is best climbed on the large stable blocks at its edge, and seeping water makes the rocky combe slippery. Late snow patches linger on this north-facing section in spring. Above the Étang Supérieur the path reaches the Col du Trou de l'Ours (2,215 m) on the main ridge of the Massif de Tabe. Turn east for Soularac: the climb is short but steep, the path is sometimes faint and yellow paint marks the rocky passages, generally keeping on the north side; there are one or two short climbing moves below the summit but almost no exposure. If you lose the marks and end up on the crest it still goes but is a little harder. Return to the col and either retrace the lakes path or continue west over the Pic de Saint-Barthélemy (2,348 m, easy) and down its north ridge, which has one easy hands-on downclimb, back to the lakes junction. The full loop over both summits is about 16 km and 1,230–1,350 m of ascent, 7.5–8 hours.
Start
Moulzoune1,312 m
- None to Moulzoune; the nearest railway stations are Foix and Ax-les-Thermes.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moulzoune → Pic de Soularac | 8.2 | 1,161 | 105 | 5h 06m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Moulzoune1,312 m
Reached by a dirt track off the Monts d'Olmes road
- Feature: Cabane du Vacher1,569 m
- Feature: Étang des Truites1,855 m
- Feature: Étang du Diable1,968 m
not on route line
- Feature: Étang Supérieur2,170 m
Steep scree wall below the lake; pass it on its west side
- Col: Col du Trou de l'Ours2,209 m
- Summit: Pic de Soularac2,368 m
Key Passages
- Scree wall between the Étang du Diable and the Étang Supérieur
- Col du Trou de l'Ours
- Short, steep ridge from the col with one or two easy climbing moves
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest point (2,368 m) of the Massif de Tabe or Saint-Barthélemy massif in the Ariège, a rocky twin of the neighbouring Pic de Saint-Barthélemy above a chain of small lakes. A long, rough but non-technical day walk from Moulzoune, with a short steep finish and a view from the Canigou to the Aneto.
Soularac stands at the eastern end of the short main ridge of the Massif de Tabe, a northern outlier of the Pyrenees between the Ariège valley, the Pays d'Olmes and Montségur. Its twin, the Pic de Saint-Barthélemy (2,348 m), lies 800 m to the west across the Col du Trou de l'Ours, and the two are almost always climbed together. On the north side a staircase of glacial lakes (Truites, Diable, Supérieur) fills the cirque between them; to the south lies the Trimouns talc quarry above Luzenac, one of the largest in the world.
The common approach is from the Moulzoune forest car park above Montferrier: about 16 km and 1,230–1,350 m of ascent for the loop over both summits, on yellow-waymarked paths that are rough, wet in places and faint near the top. Other starts are Montségur (via the Col de la Peyre and the Étang Tort or the Lasset valley, about 1,400–1,650 m of ascent) and the Monts d'Olmes ski station.
From the summit you can see the Cathar castle of Montségur at the end of the Lasset valley, the Capcir, the Madres and the Canigou to the east, and the Montcalm, Mont Valier, the Maladeta and the Pic du Midi de Bigorre to the west.
Climbing Notes
A long day rather than a hard one: allow 7.5–8 hours for the loop, start early in autumn, and carry a map, as the paint marks are ageing and fog makes the lakes area confusing. The scree wall below the Étang Supérieur and the final ridge need sure footing and a couple of easy hands-on moves; keep to the yellow marks on the north side of the ridge. In spring, north-facing snowfields above the Étang des Truites and on the ridge can be hard; take an ice axe and crampons or wait until they melt. In winter the massif is a ski-touring and snowshoe objective, with the north face and the south couloir (PD) used by ski mountaineers.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski touring or snowshoeing only, avalanche terrain
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; spring ski touring
- Apr
- Snow on the ridge and above the lakes
- May
- Snowfields above the Étang des Truites
- Jun
- Late snow patches possible on north-facing slopes
- Jul
- Afternoon storms possible; cattle on the ridges
- Oct
- Autumn colours; short days, start early
- Nov
- First snow likely
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The Trimouns talc quarry on the south side is a private industrial zone: do not cross it
- Cattle graze the ridges and pastures in summer: pass herds calmly and close gates
- Getting There
Lavelanet (Montferrier is the nearest village)
Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS); Carcassonne (CCF)
- Car: from Foix towards Lavelanet, then Montferrier and the Monts d'Olmes road; after about 5 km a drivable dirt track on the left leads to the Moulzoune car park (about 1 h 50 from Toulouse, 50 min from Foix)
- Train: SNCF stations at Foix and Ax-les-Thermes; no public transport to the trailhead was found
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure