Ridge SE

Overview

The SE ridge of Pica d'Estats it's the most difficult of the normal routes to the summit. The aerial stepcrossings with grade II or II+ make a route generally for mountaineers with experience.
It's possible to climb in 2 days with night with tent in the estany de Sotllo (2h 30 min from mountain hut of Vallferrera) or Vallferrera Hut.

Note: I used the table of wikipedia to traslate the grade to YDS: Grade (rock-climbing), and the grade II is 5.3 and the grade III is 5.4 and for this reason the II+ is an intermediate pass (and I use the upper grade). For the same reason I can't use the list of grades of SP, II or III, but don't II+. If you have a little of attention it's possible to follow the climbs of II, but the wall of II+ is the evident in front of us and it's possible you decide to climb it.

Getting There

The trailhead is the same of the route of Vallferrera. See the main page to approach.

Route Description

The first part of the route to estany d'estats it's the same of Normal route from Vallferrera.

Estany d'Estats (2480m, 2h40min), in the point that the normal route goes to left side (west) to border the lake we walk in right direction searching a ramp to climb to west side. The hard slope among the stones bring to us to the waterfall of Conca Gelada. To evitate the waterfall we go to right to the hillsides of peak of Estany Fons. We reach the little lake of Estany Gelat at 2600m. Bordering the lake we reach a little valley following the carins to left side to reach the bottom of NW face of peak Canalbona and the Col North of this peak (2910m, 4h). We turn to left (some cairns) and we descent to NE to the collet Franc de Riufret (2920m, 4h 30min) just over the small lake of Estanyet de Conca Gelada. We go to NE across a easy ramp of stones to reach the peak Rodó de Canalbona (3004m) (cairn, 4h45min).

We descent to a new small col and we walk under the summit of the next peak, following a very small path with cairns until the col between Pica d'Estats and Punta Gabarró. In the col we turn to right side to walk to the summit of Punta Gabarró (3115m) (geodesic vertex, 5h). We return to the col. The ridge that join Gabarró with Pica d'Estats is the hardest part of the route. Descending to the col we get the ridge (grade I+) and following the cairns we reach a chimney of 6m (II) to exit to the ridge to right side (exposed). In the ridge we arrive to the keypoint, a short wall of II+ with a little place to put the foots, but it's possible to climb the wall of left side (II), a little more easier. After this impressive pass we follow the last meters to a new chimney of 8m (II) to get the shoulder of the ridge walking to the summit of Pica d'Estats (3143m, 5h40min).

If you spend the night with tent in Estany de Sotllo you need 3h to the summit.

First chimney

Wall II+

Second chimney

Essential Gear

Rope and harness are advisables to some stepcrossings for begginers.

External Links

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Images

View Ridge SE Image Gallery - 4 Images