Circular loop of the Col and Lac d'Oncet from Super-Barèges

Head towards the Bastan Valley via Luz-Saint-Sauveur. Pass through the village of Barèges and continue for 3 km on the D918. Reach the car park at the Tournaboup winter sports resort. If the D918 is open beyond this point, continue uphill towards the Col du Tourmalet. The road runs alongside a ski run called "Bastan". Drive as far up as possible to Super-Barèges or Les Cabanes de Stouets, the departure points for the Tourmalet chairlift and the Toue and Ourdis ski lifts.
Wherever the road is blocked (which varies depending on the season and snow conditions), park at the side of the road. Continue along the road and put on your snowshoes (or skis) as soon as possible.

(S/E) Depending on where you park: if at the Tournaboup car park, take the Bastan track in reverse; or if on the hard shoulder of the D918 (as on this route), take the^GR®®10Cstarting to the left of the road; or walk up the D918, which is closed to traffic; or if at the Super-Barèges car park, cut across the Plat de Monhaillat and Montaquéou.
Head down to the bottom of the stream in the Aoube valley.

(1) Climb the slope on the left bank (the right bank is also passable). Pass by the Cabanes d’Aoube, on the plateau of the same name. Climb due north at the bottom of the Vallon de l’Aouda, keeping the Bonida well to your right

(2) At the northernmost point of the route, head clearly eastwards and tackle the steepest section towards the Col d’Oncet. Do not hesitate to make wide zigzags on either side of the slope.

(3) Reach the Col d’Oncet and suddenly discover the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and its observatory coming into view.

''A little further down, the Hôtellerie des Laquets. Below, the buildings of the former Col de Sencours weather station and Lac d'Oncet, a frozen mirror in its setting. View of the Pic du Tourmalet and far beyond...
A very beautiful view also in the background of the western Pyrenees...”

To leave the pass, you must cross the edge of a beautiful snow-covered ledge, usually facing east, and therefore passable. However, you must jump over a ledge of a good metre and a half and immediately find your footing on the >30% slope.
Snowshoers should take the slope to the right, whilst skiers can descend directly towards the lake. However, if the slope is deemed too tricky on snowshoes up to the rocky ridge to the south, it may be preferable to descend to the bottom of the valley, generally following the Blue winter trail on the IGN map.
Then, head generally south-east or east-south-east.

(4) Reach the western shore of the lake, about forty metres higher up. Take another break to enjoy the view.

From here, you can either head right (west), descending about 50 metres in altitude and taking a wide detour to the west beneath the Pic d’Oncet to reach the small lake at 2,245m (this route) or, alternatively, continue along the ridge to the end, descending and passing very close to the east of the lake (the blue winter route on the IGN map).
The two routes meet on the Plateau d’Oncet.

(5) Continue the descent south-south-west, following the^GR®®10Croute to the 2000 m mark (it is not easy to follow the summer route of^{the GR®®10C}, which is quite steep and therefore not very comfortable on snowshoes).

(6) Shortly after leaving the^GR®®10C, above the Toue ski lift, head south-west into the Plat de Monhaillat and Montaquéou across the Altisurface (for paragliders), heading by sight towards the bend in the D918 at 1,629 m.

(7) Once you reach the bend, cut across the previous hairpin bend and complete the final kilometre on the snow-covered road closed to traffic (otherwise, rejoin the^GR®®10Cat bridge 1, which runs alongside it as on the outward journey) to return to the car park (S/E).

The description relates to a solo hike undertaken in early winter 2022, with very light snow cover. Shortly after setting off (start/finish), no tracks, paths or markings are visible! Most of the route will follow the description accompanied by a GPS track, or even the tracks of previous skiers or snowshoers, which are quite numerous at this time of year.

Only attempt this route if you are fully proficient in snowshoeing or ski touring.

Parking at the start
There is no proper car park, but there are spaces along the D918 road; parking is fully tolerated by the police and local authorities.

Estimated time
I completed this route in 6 hours 50 minutes, including breaks and a picnic (3 hours), setting off from the car park at 9.45 am. This is an average time. Allow between 6 and 8 hours.

Difficulty
Classified as a Difficult hike, due to the significant elevation gain, the presence of very steep sections between (2) and (4), the tricky section on the col’s ledge (3), the lack of signposting, and high-mountain conditions. It is a challenging route, reserved for experienced mountaineers, but anyone can stop along the way.
In summer, the rating is Moderate (but there are no markings between (2) and (4).
The IBP Index is 114 HKG (with or without snow), which corresponds to a route rated Very Difficult for a hiker of average fitness or Moderate for a hiker of high fitness.

Water sources
There are no drinking water points along the route.
- In winter with snow, streams can be used as water sources without too much danger. However, allow for 1 litre of cold water per person and 1 litre of hot water in a thermos flask per person.
- In summer, springs, lakes, rivers or runoff water are not guaranteed to be safe to drink. Allow 1.5 litres per person.

Shelter
There are no huts or refuges along the route; the only shelters are at the start and finish.

Equipment
- In summer, bring standard high-mountain hiking gear: hiking boots, suitable clothing, rainwear, water, food, a survival blanket, a knife, a compass, a map and a whistle.
- In winter when there is snow, you must also bring snowshoes, a pair of poles, gaiters, sun cream, lip balm, a GPS or the Visorando app on your smartphone, gloves, suitable warm clothing, a flask with a hot drink, a hat, and sunglasses suitable for glare on the snow. Some will also add an avalanche transceiver (AV), a shovel and a probe. Crampons and an ice axe are not always essential, but should be considered.

Visitor numbers
- in winter when there is snow, beyond Aouda (not even the lake), the area is not very busy, mainly visited by ski tourers rather than snowshoers. However, both on the ascent and descent of the Col d’Oncet, the route was not heavily trodden, barely marked.
- In summer, it is rarely visited; there is no marked trail on the map.
Whatever the season, don’t forget to let your friends and family know your exact route and inform them of any changes by text or phone.

Snowshoes + poles or crampons + poles or crampons + ice axe
In the depths of winter in the morning, it may be easier to use crampons than snowshoes or skis. Indeed, walking in crampons is almost identical to walking in boots, with the added advantage of safely navigating small flat sections or icy slopes, and especially narrow, overhanging sections of hard or icy snow.
When putting on crampons on flat ground or gentle slopes, keep your poles. As soon as the gradient exceeds 15–20%, snowshoes and poles are stowed away and securely fastened to your rucksack, and you use the ice axe. Using an ice axe requires a good level of skill, particularly in the event of a fall or when descending.

??Check the weather forecast, particularly the snow and avalanche report from Météo-France for the Haute-Bigorre massif in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

Avalanche risk areas
The area is not known for avalanches on this route, but the west and east faces of the Col d’Oncet (3) are more prone to them than others.

If you notice any errors in signposting or place names on your route or on the map you are using, you can become a contributor and report them:
- marking errors, safety issues, conflicts of use, environment: click here
- mapping errors, place names: click here

Always be careful and prepared when out hiking. Visorando and the author of this guide cannot be held liable for any accidents or incidents that may occur on this route.

Place names
Source: La mule et l'intello blog. Many thanks to him!
Translations with the help of Pierre Salles, an excellent columnist on France-Bleu Béarn.
Barèges: Barètge The small (?) valley. Etymology (Latin) is somewhat disputed, but seems nevertheless unavoidable. The root comes from the Latin ‘vallem’ and the suffix most likely comes from the Latin ‘-eticam’,…perhaps a diminutive (?)
‘Barège’ (actually ‘Varètge’) is the name of the valley. The commune bearing this name only came into being in the 20th century: under the impetus of Urbain Cazaux, general councillor for the valley and president of the French Ski Federation, the entire eastern section of the land previously belonging to the commune of Betpouey was separated from it to create the new commune.
The place had already been given this name due to the great renown of its thermal baths (cf. their imperial clientele): originally, people spoke of ‘the baths of (the valley of) Barège’, then (in Paris!) this was shortened to ‘Barèges’ to refer, in effect, solely to these thermal baths. This name has stuck.

Variations
At the Col d'Oncet (3), you can easily continue south towards the Pic d'Oncet (2,607m, a gentle climb of just 63m) or, with a little more effort, north towards Pène Blanque (2,743m, a climb of 200m), or even do both!