Pic du Midi d'Ossau
Encyclopedia
- Another Pic du Midi is the Pic du Midi de BigorrePic du Midi de BigorreThe Pic du Midi de Bigorre or simply Pic du Midi is a mountain in the French Pyrenees famous for its astronomical observatory, the Observatoire du Pic du Midi de Bigorre , part of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées .-Pic du Midi Observatory:Construction of the observatory began in 1878 under the...
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The Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,884 m) is a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
rising above the Ossau Valley
Ossau Valley
The Ossau Valley is a valley of the French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département.- Administration :...
in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. Despite possessing neither a glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
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
Boulevard des Pyrénées
The Boulevard des Pyrénées is a boulevard in the town of Pau in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of south-west France. With buildings on its northern side only, and a terrace overlooking the valley of the Gave de Pau to its south, the boulevard is notable for its panoramic view of the peaks of...
in Pau, some 55 km to the north.
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
Gabas, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Gabas is a hamlet in the valley of the Gave d'Ossau in the French Pyrenees. It is located where that river is formed by the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave de Bious and the Gave du Brousset, which flow respectively from the western and eastern sides of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau.The...
at the foot of the mountain's northern slopes, to form the Gave d'Ossau
Gave d'Ossau
The Gave d'Ossau is the torrential river flowing through the Ossau Valley, one of the three main valleys of the High-Béarn , in the Southwest of France....
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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
Roman Catholic Diocese of Aire
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Aire, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Landes, in the Region of Aquitaine....
. 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
Triangulation station
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
had been built on the summit. The first fully recorded climb was by Guillaume Delfau accompanied by Mathieu (an Eaux-Bonnes
Eaux-Bonnes
Eaux-Bonnes is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Nearby is the impressive villa Cockade, the construction of which is detailed in Dornford Yates's novel The House That Berry Built....
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
Club alpin français
The Club alpin français, usually referred to as the CAF, is a federation of club promoting mountain sports. It offers multiple training and courses to help people understand mountains....
owned mountain hut situated at 2031 m (6,663.4 ft), and requires most of a day to execute.
Politically, the mountain lies within the commune of Laruns
Laruns
Laruns is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave d'Ossau and its tributary, the Valentin....
, in the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
and the Aquitaine region
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
of France. It lies within the fully protected area of the Pyrenees National Park
Pyrenees National Park
The Pyrénées National Park is a national park located within the French départements of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques.Located along the border of France and Spain is a scenic and mountainous landscape offering a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, skiing, mountain climbing...
.