Pico Posets
3,369 m
Spain
Also known as Tuca de Llardana, Pic Posets, +4Also known as
Tuca de Llardana · Pic Posets · Pico de Posets · Pic des Posets · Picco Posets · Tuca de Posets
- Elevation
- 3,369 m
- Prominence
- 1,131 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2The shortest and most popular way up the second-highest Pyrenean summit: from the Espigantosa car park in the Eriste valley to Refugio Ángel Orús (2,150 m), then up the Llardaneta valley and the long Canal Fonda gully to the col below the Diente de Llardana and along the broad south ridge to the top. About 1,850 m of ascent in total.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 7.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,858 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,369 m
- Time Up
- 7h 10m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 42m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Espigantosa bridge car park (about 1,550 m) in the Eriste valley above Eriste, the PR-HU 36 path follows the torrent through forest and past the Puente de Presentet, then climbs to Refugio Ángel Orús (2,150 m) in about 1¾–2 hours. In summer the track to Espigantosa is closed to private cars and served by a paid bus from Eriste. From the hut, the red-and-white marked path climbs north-north-west into the Llardaneta valley. At a signpost (about 2,350 m) take the branch towards the Collado de Eriste, cross the stream at about 2,500–2,550 m and leave the path to climb north up grassy slopes to the foot of the Canal Fonda (about 2,630 m), the broad gully known as the 'Ruta Real'. It often holds snow well into summer. About 400 m up the canal, steepening towards the top (around 35°), lead to the Collado del Diente (about 3,010 m) beneath the tower of the Diente de Llardana. From the col, climb the slopes and short rock steps on the right to the Espalda de Posets and follow the summit ridge to the top, about 3¾ hours from the hut. Keep off the very loose scree on the east and north-east flanks. Descend the same way: about 3 hours to the hut and a further 1–1¼ hours to Espigantosa. Most parties sleep at Ángel Orús; fit parties do it in one long day of about 8 hours from the car park. Early in the season the canal is a snow climb needing crampons and an ice axe, and in winter the approach below the hut is exposed to avalanches.
Start
Puente de Espigantosa1,519 m
- Bus to Eriste on the Barbastro–Benasque line; summer shuttle bus from Eriste to Espigantosa (20 June – 13 September 2026, from 06:00; tickets on board, cash only, no seat reservations).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puente de Espigantosa → Refugio Ángel Orús | 3.4 | 595 | 9 | 2h 25m |
| 2 | Refugio Ángel Orús → Pico Posets | 4.3 | 1,259 | 0 | 4h 44m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Puente de Espigantosa1,519 m
Summer bus terminus; track closed to private cars in summer
- Feature: Puente de Presentet1,756 m
- Hut: Refugio Ángel Orús2,112 m
- Feature: Canal Fonda2,624 m
Foot of the gully
- Col: Collado del Diente3,014 m
- Summit: Pico Posets3,369 m
Key Passages
- Canal Fonda (often snow-filled)
- Collado del Diente below the Diente de Llardana
- Espalda de Posets and summit ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The second-highest summit of the Pyrenees, a broad, isolated massif between the Benasque and Chistau valleys in Aragón. The normal route is a long but non-technical gully and ridge climb from Refugio Ángel Orús, with snow in the Canal Fonda well into summer.
Posets (Tuca de Llardana in the local Aragonese, 3,369 m by the skeleton survey, 3,375 m in most guidebooks) stands apart from the main Pyrenean chain, separated from the Aneto–Maladeta massif by the Ésera valley and from the frontier ridge by the Estós valley. Its isolation makes the summit one of the best viewpoints in the range, from Aneto and Perdiguero to Monte Perdido and Vignemale. The massif lies within the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park and is ringed by three huts: Ángel Orús to the south-east, Estós to the north-east and Viadós to the west.
The usual ascent from the Eriste valley is a big day rather than a technical one: about 1,850 m of ascent from the car park, most of it above the hut on steep scree, grass and a long gully, the Canal Fonda, that keeps snow into July. The final ridge is broad and easy. Experienced scramblers often prefer the Cresta de Espadas, an exposed but mostly easy ridge that links five 3,000 m tops before reaching the summit.
The mountain is busy in summer, and the access track from Eriste is closed to private cars from late June to mid-September, when a shuttle bus runs. Many parties combine the ascent with a night at Ángel Orús, a large, year-round staffed hut.
Climbing Notes
The normal route requires good fitness for 1,200–1,300 m of ascent from the hut (about 1,850 m in a single day from Espigantosa), confidence on steep, loose scree and, until mid-summer, on snow slopes of up to about 35° in the Canal Fonda with crampons and an ice axe. No glacier skills are needed. Altitude is moderate. A helmet is worthwhile in the gully, where other parties can knock stones down.
Typical itinerary: take the shuttle bus from Eriste to Espigantosa, walk up to Refugio Ángel Orús (about 2 hours), summit early next morning (about 3¾ hours) and descend to the car park the same day. The Espadas ridge (PD+, steps of III) suits climbers comfortable unroped on exposed grade II terrain; carry a short rope if anyone in the party is less experienced. Book the hut in advance in summer. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August.
In winter and spring Posets is a classic ski-mountaineering objective, but the Eriste valley below the hut is avalanche-prone and the Canal Fonda becomes a serious snow climb.
History
The first ascent was made on 6 August 1856 by the Englishman Henry Halkett with the guides Pierre Barrau and Pierre Redonnet ('Nate'), probably from the east by the Batisielles valley. The first winter ascent followed in January 1880 (Barthélemy Courrège and Roger de Monts), and the first ski ascent on 19 February 1921 by Jean Arlaud, Raymond d'Espouy, Léonce Mandeville and Henri and Jean Sabadie, who descended the Canal Fonda on ski. The Canal Fonda route was probably first climbed on 1 August 1909 (Pierre Harlé's party). The Espadas ridge was first descended in 1905 by Louis Le Bondidier's party and first climbed from the Collado de Eriste on 2 July 1914 by Henri and Roger Brulle, Germain Castagné and Henri Motas d'Hestreux.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter ascent or ski tour for experienced parties; avalanche risk on the approach
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering; hut staffed all year
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season
- Apr
- Spring ski tours; snow climb in the Canal Fonda
- May
- Heavy snow cover; crampons and ice axe needed
- Jun
- Canal Fonda still snow-filled; shuttle bus from 20 June (2026)
- Jul
- Main season; snow in the gully early in the month; afternoon storms
- Aug
- Main season; mostly snow-free; busy
- Sep
- Stable weather; shuttle bus until 13 September (2026)
- Oct
- Often good; shorter days, first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refugio Ángel Orús (Aragonese Mountaineering Federation) is staffed all year; book online via refugioangelorus.com or on +34 974 344 044.
- Fees
- Summer shuttle bus Eriste–Espigantosa: EUR 9.50 single, EUR 14.00 return (2026), cash on board
- Refugio Ángel Orús 2026 overnight: EUR 26.20 for non-members, EUR 19.00 for federation members (adults), meals extra
- Rules
- The forest track from Eriste to the Espigantosa car park is closed to private vehicles during the summer shuttle period (20 June – 13 September in 2026)
- Posets-Maladeta Natural Park: bivouacking (with or without a tent) only above 2,000 m, away from huts, between 20:00 and 08:00; fires prohibited
- Getting There
Eriste and Benasque (Benasque valley, Huesca)
Zaragoza (ZAZ), Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS) or Barcelona (BCN), each about 3 hours by road
- Car: A-139 from Graus/Castejón de Sos to Eriste; outside the summer shuttle period, a 5 km track (first kilometre paved) leads to the Espigantosa car park at about 1,550 m
- Bus: regional bus from Barbastro/Huesca to Benasque stops at Eriste
- Summer shuttle bus from Eriste to Espigantosa (20 June – 13 September 2026, first departure 06:00; no reservations)
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,150 m
Refugio Ángel OrúsHutStaffedBooking required
90 beds · Staffed all year