Col de Tentes

Overview

The shortest and most frquented route to climb the Taillon have the trailhead in the col de Tentes (2208m). This road is the old project to connect with Spain on the Puerto de Bujaruelo, but the Spanish section never was maked. Nowadays the road is in very good contitions except the last 1,5 km closed to cars.

Getting There

The access is good signaled in the village of Gavarnie.

Route Description

We begin on the Col de Tentes walking on the road to reach the Puerto de Bujaruelo (2287m) connecting with the route from San Nicolás de Bujaruelo.
Now we'll can see on the right side the impressive north face of Taillón and the Gabietos, but the normal route goes in the eastern part in horizontally across the hillside, with very little slope up to reaching the great hollow between the mountains for which we'll leave to the left side the peak Sarradets.
Our target is the refuge to which we will come for a hard sloping hillside that it can preserve ice sellers near to the glacier of the Taillón that can need winter material in the cold days in the first hours of the morning (nothing in summer). To the right we will be observing the top of the Taillon over the small and nice glacier and we'll observe the ridge East that is the one that we will climb later.
In the Refuge de Sarradets (2587m, 3h 30min) the landscape of Cirque de Gavarnie is wonderfull and it's a nice place to lunch and to rest a little moment. Our vision will go to the right towards one of the points most charismatic and known about all the Pyrenees, the singular Brecha de Rolando (Rolando's gap), which supposedly the former hero caused with a slit of his sword.
The ascension to the Brecha de Rolando is fast but also there is in the habit of containing an everlasting ice seller and sometimes it has ice. After penetrating the gap we'll enter to Spain, in Ordesa's natural park. On this side (South face) generally there is not snow in summer. (2805m, 4h 15min)
The very travelled way goes to the right under the walls of Punta Bazillac. We will see a small rocky formation to the right, it is the Dedo de la Falsa Brecha (Finger of the false gap) to which we will go and border for the north face with a view to the glacier that we have below. The exit of this step-crossing also can contain ice in some occasion early on the season. In winter it is good idea with great snow even to avoid the step along the south.
The top is visible and it is sufficient to follow of the ridge East up to reaching the summit (3144m, 5h 40min).
In summer one will see 100 or 200 persons climbing so it is difficult to get lost (it's one of the most popular peaks of Ordesa together with Monte Perdido

Essential Gear

Water, cap, sunglasses.
Many days, specially in spring it's necessary the use of crampons and ice-axe to access to Brecha de Rolando. Always in winter.

External Links

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Images

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