Crête de la Pègue 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. You’ll reach the car park at the Tournaboup ski resort. If the D918 is open beyond this point, continue uphill towards the Tourmalet. The road runs alongside a ski run called ‘Bastan’. Drive as high 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 on the roadside. Continue along the road and put on your snowshoes (or skis) as soon as possible. The start of the hike is at the resort buildings.

(S/E) Leave the restaurant and resort buildings on your right and cut across the D918 through the snow-covered grass, heading due south. Make your way to a hairpin bend on the D918 with its crash barrier, which is clearly visible from the ski lift departure points. Stay on the snow-covered road for approximately 200 m.

(1) When the road turns sharply to the left (Source de Labach), leave it and head into the valley opening out to the south. The slope becomes steeper, quickly turning south-westerly. Shortly afterwards, head south-east, setting off below the Pic de Campana, towards the Bat de Barrère valley. A high rocky ridge marks the boundary between this valley and the cirque of this route.

(2) To the south of this ridge, 500 m after leaving the road, turn right (south-south-west; do not continue straight on towards the Vallon de Bat de Barrère). Climb, leaving the Pic de Caoubère (2,496 m) and its southern secondary peaks on your right. At around 2,200 m, you’ll reach a fork in the path (not visible on the ground).

(3) From here, there are two options for completing a circular route. The route suggested here ascends on the western side and descends on the eastern side. Head, therefore, south-south-west. Pass over ridges and hollows to reach the western section of the Crête de la Pègue, at around 2,400 m.

(4) Follow the ridge to the left (east) and easily reach an unnamed summit at 2,406 m. Descend east-north-east into a small valley and reach a ledge. Continue along the valley towards the east, reach a small basin and go round it to the north (on the left).

(5) Resume the ascent, heading east then south-east. Reach the eastern end of the Crête de la Pègue, just below the 2,441-metre mark. A gap in the ridge offers a magnificent view of the Vallon d’Aygues-Cluses, the Madamète Lakes, the Col and the Pic de Madamète (2,661 m).

(6) Descend via the same route to the northern edge of the cirque.

(5) Then veer right and descend the cirque heading north or north-north-west. Join the tracks from the ascent at around 2,200 m

(3) Descend roughly along the same route as on the way up, following the dips and ridges to find the best route back to the car park (S/E).

This description covers a group hike undertaken in late winter (late March 2021) when snow cover was still very substantial given the altitude. At the start (S/E), all the ski lift stations were covered in snow, as was the D918 road. From point (1) onwards, no ski runs, footpaths or signposting are visible! Most of the route will follow the description accompanied by a GPS track, or even in conjunction with the tracks left by previous skiers or snowshoers, which are very 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 roads.

Estimated time
We completed this route in around 5 hours, including breaks and a picnic, setting off from the car park at 9.30 am. We didn’t rush, but this is still a fairly tight timeframe. Allow between 5½ and 6 hours.

Difficulty
This walk is classified as Very Difficult, due to the significant elevation gain, the presence of very steep sections between (2) and (4), the lack of signposting, and high-mountain conditions. It is a challenging route, suitable only for experienced mountaineers, but anyone can stop along the way.
Don’t miss the final eastern ridge, as this is what gives the route its full character.
In summer, the difficulty rating is ‘Difficult’.
The IBP index is 117 HKG, which corresponds to a ‘Very Difficult’ route for a hiker of average fitness.

Water sources
There are no drinking water sources along the route.
- In winter, when there is snow, streams can be used as water sources without too much risk. 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 surface water are not guaranteed to be safe to drink. Allow 1.5 litres per person.

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

Equipment
- In summer, bring standard mid-mountain hiking kit: 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 off the snow. Some people will also take an avalanche transceiver, 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, the site is known to be very busy, mainly with ski tourers rather than snowshoers.
- In summer, it is not very busy; there are no marked trails on the map.
Whatever the season, don’t forget to let your friends and family know your exact route and keep them informed of any changes by text message or phone call.

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 ordinary shoes, with the added advantage of being able to safely navigate small flat sections or gentle icy slopes, and above all narrow, sloping sections of hard or icy snow.
When putting on crampons on flat ground or gentle slopes, you keep your poles. As soon as the gradient exceeds 15 to 20 per cent, 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 bulletin from Météo-France for the Haute-Bigorre massif in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

Avalanche-prone areas
This route is not generally considered to be prone to avalanches, but as it faces north, it is more susceptible than others.

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

Place names
Source: ‘La mule et l’intello’ blog. Many thanks to him!
Translations with the help of Pierre Salles, an excellent commentator on France-Bleu Béarn.
Barèges: Barètge The little (?) valley. The etymology (Latin) is rather disputed, but seems nonetheless undeniable. 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 did not come into being until the 20th century: at the instigation of Urbain Cazaux, a member of the valley’s departmental council and president of the French Ski Federation, the entire eastern part of the land that had until then belonged 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): it was originally referred to as ‘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.
Aygues-Cluses aigəs clusəs Most certainly ‘closed waters’, ‘hidden waters’ (Latin etymology). The torrent that flows down through the upper part of the valley then disappears into ground composed of piled-up granite boulders, so that the lower part of this valley has no stream. Medieval troubadours referred to ‘trobar clus’ as a genre of poetry whose deeper meaning could only be revealed to those who had been given the keys to understand it, whilst remaining hidden from others. Reconstructed spelling: aigas clusas.
Ets Coubous e(t)s ku’bus. Most likely: the sinkholes and resurgences. Etymology probably pre-Latin. We are very close to Aygues-Cluses and in the same type of terrain. Only this time, it is in a place where water disappears in some spots and resurfaces in others. Reconstructed spelling: Eths cobós.
Madaméte mada’metə Probably ‘little Madame’. No doubt some long-forgotten anecdote was behind this name. Reconstructed spelling: Madameta.
Tournaboup: Other places in the valley bear this name. The only possibility is a compound word made up of ‘torna’ (‘it returns’, ‘it turns’) and ‘vo(l)p’, meaning ‘fox’. Literally, therefore: ‘Turning fox’. But again, why? This (Latin) etymology is, after all, rather uncertain, and distortions may have occurred over the centuries. Reconstructed spelling: Tornavop.
Néouvielle Massif: in Gascon: ‘nèu’, meaning ‘snow’, and ‘vielha’, meaning ‘old’ or ‘ancient’.