Pic de Montcalm

Pic de Montcalm is a French pyrenean summit, culminating at 3,077 m (10,095 ft), located in the Ariège department, Midi-Pyrénées region of France.

Le pic de Montcalm from la vallée de Vicdessos
Pic de Montcalm
Pic de Montcalm view from la pica d'Estats
Highest point
Elevation3,077 m (10,095 ft)[1]
Prominence89 m (292 ft)
ListingList of Pyrenean three-thousanders
Coordinates42°40′20″N 01°24′23″E[2]
Geography
Pic de Montcalm is located in Pyrenees
Pic de Montcalm
Pic de Montcalm
Parent rangePyrénées
Geology
Mountain typeGranite
Climbing
First ascent18 July 1807 by Candolle and Simon Faure
Easiest routePar le refuge du Pinet (France)
ou le Vall Ferrera (Espagne)

Topography

Located in the Ariège south of Auzat in the Vicdessos, it lies slightly north of the Franco-Spanish borderline crest.[3]

La pique du Montcalm (Ariège appellation), la pique d'Estats and the pic du port de Sullo are the three main summits of the massif du Montcalm, the last two bordering Spain and la Pica d'Estats the highest summit in Catalonia.

The summit is located in the perimeter of the parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises.[4]

History

The first ascent was made on July 18, 1807 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle along with guide Simon Faure.[5][6]

Access
View of the pass and path leading up to the pic de Montcalm; in the foreground, the path for the final ascent towards the Pica d'Estats.

On the French side, three main itineraries are possible :

  • by the Pinet refuge, located next to the lac du Pinet: the path (tagged red and white) is the easiest (namely downhill) and most used itinerary.
  • by the Soulcem valley and the Riufret couloir: some passages are difficult going downhill. It is poorly signed.
  • by the vallon de Pujol and the Pla Subra: which used to be the conventional track, used by the first Pyrenean pioneers. The route begins at the chalet du Montcalm (also called "Refuge du Montcalm") located by the route de l'Artigue, 1 km after the hamlet of Marc. The route gradually lost its status as the normal route due to certain difficult passages, below and above the Tables du Montcalm.

On the Spanish side: by the Vall Ferrera, from the Pica d'Estats from which one can reach the Montcalm by the col de l'Estats, French side.

References
  1. "Liste des 3000 pyrénéens par massif". Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  2. Source : Géoportail avec carte IGN à l'échelle 1:25000
  3. Géoportail
  4. Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises
  5. A. P. De Candolle, Le voyage de Tarbes, éd. Loubatières, Portet S/Garonne, 1999, pages 191, note 112 ; ouvrage retranscrit, annoté et commenté par Alain Bourneton
  6. A. Bourneton, « Deux siècles d'ascensions dans le massif Montcalm-Estats », Pyrénées, n° 200, 1999, pages 343-358 ; n° 201, pages 5-16 ; n° 202, pages 127-136 ; n° 203, pages 229-238
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