Vignemale
3,299 m
France, Spain
Also known as Comachibosa, Pico Viñamala, +2Also known as
Comachibosa · Pico Viñamala · Pica Longa · Винемаль
- Elevation
- 3,299 m
- Prominence
- 1,029 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: F+ (Topopyrenees reader comment (F+/PD-))
The normal route to the highest summit of the French Pyrenees: from the Ossoue dam (1,834 m) up the Ossoue valley to Refuge de Bayssellance (2,651 m), then across the shrinking Ossoue Glacier and up a short, rockfall-prone couloir of broken red rock (I–II) to the Pique Longue. About 1,650 m of ascent; crampons and ice axe required.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 8.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,626 m
- −161 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,299 m
- Time Up
- 6h 52m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 54m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park near the Barrage d'Ossoue (about 1,730–1,834 m, at the end of the Ossoue valley road from Gavarnie), follow the GR 10 up the valley, crossing to the right bank, past the waterfall step and the plateau at about 2,000 m. The path climbs past the Grottes de Bellevue (2,420 m), caves dug for Henry Russell, to Refuge de Bayssellance (2,651 m), the highest staffed hut in the Pyrenees: about 1,000 m and 3–3½ hours from the dam. From the hut, descend south-east for about 10 minutes on the path back towards Ossoue, leave it at about 2,450–2,520 m and take a path traversing west below the Petit Vignemale ridge over scree or snow to the foot of the Ossoue Glacier (about 2,600 m, 40 minutes; mixed ground in some conditions). Put on crampons. The first part of the glacier is fairly steep; when snow cover is thin, follow the glacier's edge or the small ridge on the Montferrat side. The slope then eases across the plateau of the glacier to near the top of the Couloir de Gaube (about 3,150–3,200 m). Remove crampons, put on a helmet, and climb the last 100 m of fractured red rock (I–II) to the summit. About 3–3½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way, keeping to the Montferrat side of the glacier rather than heading straight down over slabs and a torrent. The last section is notorious for rockfall knocked down by crowds; avoid the centre of the couloir and climb slightly to the right of the usual line. In 2023 the PGHM proposed an alternative line to the right via the Grotte du Paradis. The glacier is retreating fast: the Russell caves near the top are now well above the ice, the first slabs above the hut are harder than before, and late-summer bare ice is crevassed. Ask the hut warden about conditions.
Start
Barrage d'Ossoue1,836 m
- Bus 965 (liO) from Lourdes to Gavarnie; no public transport up the Ossoue valley road. Alternatively bus to Cauterets and shuttle to the Pont d'Espagne, then about 5 hours to Bayssellance via the Oulettes de Gaube.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrage d'Ossoue → Refuge de Bayssellance | 5.6 | 846 | 31 | 3h 35m |
| 2 | Refuge de Bayssellance → Vignemale | 3.3 | 780 | 131 | 3h 17m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Barrage d'Ossoue1,836 m
Car park about 1.2 km before the dam at about 1,730 m if the last stretch of road is in poor condition
- Hut: Refuge de Bayssellance2,652 m
- Summit: Vignemale3,299 m
Key Passages
- Traverse from Bayssellance to the glacier
- Steep lower Ossoue Glacier
- Final couloir of broken red rock (I–II, rockfall)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest summit of the French Pyrenees (Pique Longue, 3,299 m) on the Franco-Spanish border above Gavarnie and Cauterets. The normal route crosses the fast-shrinking Ossoue Glacier from Refuge de Bayssellance and finishes on a short couloir of loose red rock.
The Vignemale massif stands on the frontier between the Hautes-Pyrénées and Aragón, between the Gaube valley above Cauterets, the Ossoue valley above Gavarnie and the Ara valley in Spain. Its highest point, the Pique Longue (Grand Vignemale), is the highest summit on the French side of the range. To the north it falls in a huge face of dark rock above the Oulettes de Gaube, one of the great walls of the Pyrenees, with the Couloir de Gaube cutting through it; to the east lies the Ossoue Glacier, the second-largest glacier in the Pyrenees.
The normal route is a straightforward glacier ascent from Refuge de Bayssellance, but two things have changed it in recent years. The glacier is retreating very fast (measurements in autumn 2025 recorded one of its worst years since 2002, and the association monitoring it expects it could disappear within a decade), which makes the lower slabs harder and exposes bare, crevassed ice in late summer. And the final 100 m of fractured red rock is prone to rockfall, made worse by large numbers of under-equipped walkers in summer.
The Vignemale is also a mountain of Pyrenean history: Henry Russell, the Victorian pyreneist who loved it above all others, had caves dug near the summit and below the glacier so he could stay on the mountain, and the Bayssellance refuge is the oldest staffed hut in the range.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills and competent use of crampons and an ice axe, which the refuge describes as obligatory on the glacier, plus fitness for about 1,650 m of ascent over two days. A helmet is essential for the final couloir; put it on, remove crampons, and keep out of the fall line of parties above. In late summer the glacier is bare and crevassed and roped travel is advisable; early summer, when snow covers it, is often easier.
Typical itinerary: drive to the Ossoue dam (or as far as the road allows), walk up to Refuge de Bayssellance (3–3½ hours), summit early next morning (about 3–3½ hours) and descend to the car in 4–5 hours. From Cauterets, walk from the Pont d'Espagne via the Oulettes de Gaube and the Hourquette d'Ossoue to Bayssellance (about 5 hours). A one-day ascent from the dam (11 hours or more) is only for very fit parties. Book the hut, which fills in summer, and ask the warden about glacier and rockfall conditions. Guides in Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Gavarnie run guided ascents.
The classic alternatives — the Couloir de Gaube, the north face routes, and the traverse of the massif's ridges — are serious mountaineering objectives.
History
Shepherds with Junker's geodesic survey may have reached the top in 1792. The first official ascent was made on 8 October 1837 by the guide Henri Cazaux and his brother-in-law, and in 1838 the English traveller Anne Lister made the first documented ascent with Cazaux and two other guides. Count Henry Russell had seven caves dug on the mountain, including the Grottes de Bellevue below Bayssellance and caves near the summit, now stranded well above the shrinking glacier. The Refuge de Bayssellance, owned by the CAF of Bordeaux, was built in 1899 and renovated in 2003. The first ski ascent was made on 15 May 1904 by Marcel Bourdil, Jean Cintrat, Donnay and Louis Falisse.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski-mountaineering for experts; hut closed
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering from Ossoue in stable conditions
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering; avalanche risk in the Ossoue barranco
- Apr
- Spring ski tours
- May
- Hut opens late May depending on snow; snow-covered glacier
- Jun
- Good snow cover on the glacier; crevasses filled
- Jul
- Main season; busy; rockfall in the final couloir
- Aug
- Bare, crevassed glacier; heavy traffic and rockfall
- Sep
- Quieter; bare ice; rope advisable
- Oct
- Hut closes mid-October; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge de Bayssellance (FFCAM, CAF de Bordeaux): staffed from late May (snow permitting) to mid-October; booking via refugebayssellance.ffcam.fr is essential in summer. Phone 09 74 77 66 52 in season.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees at Refuge de Bayssellance, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The massif lies partly in the core zone of the Pyrenees National Park (France) and borders the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Spain); park rules on bivouacking, dogs, fires and drones apply — check them before camping
- Getting There
Gavarnie (Ossoue valley); Cauterets (Pont d'Espagne and Gaube approach); Torla on the Spanish side
Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (LDE); Pau-Pyrénées (PUF)
- Car: from Lourdes via Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Gavarnie, then the narrow Ossoue valley road to the dam (last section in variable condition; park about 1.2 km before the dam if needed)
- Bus: liO line 965 from Lourdes to Gavarnie or Cauterets; summer shuttle from Cauterets to the Pont d'Espagne
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,651 m
Refuge de BayssellanceHutStaffedBooking required
Late May (snow permitting) to mid-October