Tour up Col d’Aoube

Mike with Col d’Aoube in the background

Link to detailed route page and map click on route title 

Now sitting in the warm back at the cottage we have rented, Mike is cooking dinner and nice to reflect on the day. Our goal was the Col d’Aoube, near Tournaboup . We did not quite make it and instead climbed an intermediate summit about 100m lower than the Col. more of that later.

Quite a lot of faffing in the cold where we (and quite a few others) parked on the shoulder of the road. Lesson to self get prepared where we are staying (e.g. Putting on skins) so that we can stay warm. As it was I got cold, so put on more layers which I had to take off after less than half an hour and then carry for the rest of the day!

We got going and had a nice warm up before turning off at 1630m gently climbing and following a river for about 100m (ht.) before crossing the river and ascending the Valley shoulder up to the cabane D’Aoube (1850m). By this time it had started to get very warm, we were stripped off to base layers and both venting. Mike said later that this was one of the hottest days he has toured on!! Anyway we decided it was time for one of our jam and cheese sarnies – get our priorities right – on a small outcrop, passed by another couple of groups of tourers. Somewhat fortified we carried on with the up. We decided to ascend the right side of the  Aouda outcrop. By the time we got to the top of that (2241m)  it was just before 1300 and we decided in order to have a decent ski down we would not push on to the Col as although only about 100m higher it was about a km away and the snow would soon start to get warm and be unpleasant to ski on.

As it was the views from our intermediate summit were spectacular, we had a really good ski down and topped the day off with a beer in Luz St S.

Now we just need to choose a day to go back and reach the Col, starting a little earlier.

Please click on the play button for some video clips of our ski tours in the Pyrenees