Balaïtous

The Balaitús (Spanish) or Pic du Balaïtous (French) (Aragonese: Pico Os Moros; Occitan: Vathleitosa) is a granitic massif of the Pyrenees, located right on the border between Spain and France.

Balaitus
Balaitus' summit
Highest point
Elevation	3,144 m (10,315 ft)
Prominence	849 m (2,785 ft)
Listing	List of mountains in Aragon
Coordinates	42°50′19″N 00°17′24″W
Geography
Balaitus Pyrenees
Location	Hautes-Pyrénées, France Alto Gállego, Aragon, Spain
Parent range	Pyrenees
Climbing
First ascent	August 8, 1825
Easiest route	Las Neous glacier

Geography

Balaitús marks the starting point of the High Pyrenees. Its height is 3,144 metres (10,315 ft) AMSL, and it is the nearest mountain to the Atlantic coast to surpass 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Its name may come from the Occitan words "vath" (valley) and "leitosa" (milky). Another Spanish name for the mountain is Pico de los Moros (Moors' peak).

It separates the Spanish Tena Valley (Sallent de Gállego) from the French Val d'Azun.

Climbing history

The first ascent was of the peak was made in 1825 by French geodesic technicians Peytier and Hossard. The second ascent was made in 1864 by Charles Packe.

Routes

There are several ascent routes to the summit, none of them are easy, mainly because of the vertical drop of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) from all directions.

From France the most frequent route goes through Las Neous glacier starting from any of the refuges nearby: Larribet (2,060 m), Balaïtous (G. Ledormeur) (1,970 m) or Arrémoulit (2,305 m).

From Spain the route starts at La Sarra car park, near Sallent de Gállego, climbing via the Arriel lakes or the Respumoso lake.

See also

• List of Pyrenean three-thousanders

External links

• "Balaitus" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2008-07-18.