PCR - 3265m

This post has nothing to do with Polymerase Chain Reaction but, rather unsurprisingly, with a hike in the mountains Xavi and I undertook at the beginning of June. Yet again we went to the Alba-Maladeta-Ridge where the last time we had left out a summit known as Pico del Collado de la Rimaya (PCR).

Click here to continue reading

The name would translate to something like Marginal Cleft Col Summit and indeed both can be found nearby. While the col is not of much importance for the hiker keen on summitting the PCR (you don't need to get there), the marginal cleft is. And it's because of the very cleft that climbing the PCR is easier in snowy conditions. Normally these won't be found at the beginning of June, but this year has left a fair amount of snow up there. 

Snow

The meteorogical conditions were rather encouraging: apart from the snow load we expected a drizzle on Friday night but then no more rain until Saturday afternoon. On Friday the 1st we made it to Benasque at round 8pm, had a quick dinner and as always wanted to go up as high as possible before settling down for the night. 

What sounded like a plan was first spoiled by the fact that the road to La Besurta was flooded due to the vast amount of melting water pouring down from the surrounding heights. We started walking at nightfall but after only 5 minutes were forced to get out of our boots again, since a bridge that should have allowed us to cross a little brook was immersed in the same by 20 or so centimetres. By the time we had crossed the water and fastened our boots' laces again it started raining. Our decision to pitch tent turned out to be a wise one because we definitely weren't experiencing a drizzle. Speaking of wise decisions: this had already been the second such because normally we wouldn't even have a tent with us since we prefer to pack light and do with bivvy sacks.

First daylight on our way to la Renclusa

The night was short and rainy. We got up at 4.30 and were walking again around 5, a little lighter now that we could leave behind all our night gear and under a cloudless sky. It turned out that we had camped very near to La Besurta, hence soon we were gaining height on our way to La Renlusa mountain hut. There, we joined the crowd, mostly made up of ski mountaineers, on their way further up the mountain. After an hour or two most people had diverged towards Aneto and the relatively few remaining were aiming for Maladeta. 

People on their way up Maladeta, about to access the Rimaya Col

Soon we seperated from these too and, lonely, headed towards our summit that we had been able to make out long before. By then, progress was laborious because with every single step we sank into the snow up to our knees. Shortly after, Xavi took the lead which made him smile and things much easier for me.

Xavi and me aiming for the PCR

A wise decisión we had not taken, would have seen us packing our snowshoes the day before. Without them we had to work hard in order to proceed. Even though we didn't see any snow shoe walkers that day, we saw lots of mountain skiers who without any doubts had a better time than we had. Shortly before we reached the acces to our summit, one of them overtook us effortlessly. He asked whether we wanted to climb PCR which we affirmed and than mentioned he would like to join in. He didn't bring his harness nor any climbing gear but I left him a long sling he could make a makeshift harness with, and I even had a spare abseiling device for him.

Three we were. We left everything we wouldn't need for our summit attempt at the bottom of the final ramp where we could already make out what in a couple of weeks surely would transform into a cleft.

Marginal cleft about to form

From there on, the only obstacle that still seperated us from PCR's top was a very snowy ramp, some 80 - 100 metres high and said to be up to 55º steep. We decided to climb it simultaneously with a 60m rope, so that Xavi was 30m above Lluís and me. Since Xavi could hardly set any belays (only 2 of them plus a belay station at the very top), The better part of the climb nobody was actually secured. We felt a little anxious due to the nagging lack of belays and the quite deep and slurry snow. Two scrambling sections that we encountered on our way up didn't provide many suitable holds either and we only managed to overcome them by a thin margin.

Xavi on his first metres up the ramp

Myself on arrival

Had one of us slipped, he would have taken down the other two as well. However, nobody did and we didn't provoke any avalanche either; something the other two were worried about as they said once we were reunited on the summit. 

The three of us felt great anyway and we celebrated one of our most difficult (if not the most) 3000m summits by taking some more photos as well as some sips of water and sharing an energy bar.

Pico del Collado de la Rimaya - 3265m

US3

Other mountaineers on their way to Maladeta

Ibon de Cregüeña

Lluís was the first to abseil. After the first 30 metres he decided not to wait for us but to make it down on foot. This way he could already strap on his skis and head off down the mountain. Xavi and me prefered to secure 30 more metres by means of a hidden anchor we hadn't seen on our way up. This took us some more time but definitely was the safer option.

The only thing left was a pretty tedious way down the mountain. By around 5 pm we were back at our car.

With the PCR ticked off from our list, Xavi and I have now summitted the 12 peaks from Gendarme d'Alba to Pico Abadias.