The Vignemale , more precisely the Long Pique is a top of the the Pyrenees, located at the Franco-Spanish Frontière in the Massif of Vignemale. With its 3.298 m, it is the culminating point of the Midday-Pyrenees area and the fourth higher massive of the Pyrenees. In edge of the National park of the Pyrenees, and “Reserved of Biosfera Ordesa-Viñamala”, it is accessible since Gavarnie, Cauterets or. Part of the route on access, French side, borrows the GR. 10. The easiest access road and obvious cross-piece most of the Glacier of Ossoue, since the caves of Bellevue on the GR. 10 until the base of the Long Spade, where it is then necessary to finish the rise with a little easy climbing. Vignemale is one of the mythical tops of the the Pyrenees.

Rises

• 1792 -, of the shepherds set up a signal at the top of the Montferrat at the request of Louis-Philippe Reinhart Junker who directs a team of Géodésie NS charged to establish the delimitation of the border, and to define the altitude of the tops. The following day, August 2nd, the same shepherds of which nobody retained the names draw up another signal at the top Spade-Long, principal top of Vignemale. (This rise of the Long Spade is not certain).

• 1837 - They are only 45 years later, the October 8th, which has place the first rise known of Vignemale by Henri Cazaux, guide of Luz and its beautiful brother Bernard Guillembet. It is at least what the Prince of Moskova in the account of his rise of August 11th, 1838 reports.

• 1838 - an original competition between a man and a woman of exception will take place, to become the first “personality” to climb Vignemale: After a first voyage in the Pyrenees in 1830, Miss Ann Lister (1791 - 1840) there returns in 1838 with a friend. They arrive at Luz the July 9th, or Ann engages its old guide Jean-Pierre Charles and Jean-Pierre Sajous. Miss Ann Lister wants of an great adventure. Thus the July 24th, of the top of the Piméné it seeks a route to go in Vignemale, but concludes that it is inaccessible by the French side because of the glacier. She thus goes to Gèdre to go to see Cazaux, the only one to have reached the top. She engages it at once and prepares the rise for the end of July. A serious competitor is presented: the prince of Moskova. It also retains Cazaux. When Ann is informed of the projects of its competitor, it decides to leave immediately. Monday August 6th, in spite of a gloomy weather, it takes the way of Vignemale with the guides Cazaux, Guillembet (the first two winners of Vignemale), Charles and Sanjou. They spend a short night in the hut of Saoussat Débat, and at 3 a.m. the small troop leaves for Vignemale. They reach the top the August 7th, by a way which will be wrongfully called “Way of the Prince of Moskowa” (see further). This long and delicate way any more is not very attended nowadays. Miss Ann Lister returns in the history of Pyrénéisme at 47 years, while becoming the first woman and the first tourist who reaches the top. She writes her name and those of its guides on a sheet which she slips into a bottle and they descend way consequently. The collar located between the Peak of Cerbillona and the peak Central was named “collar Lady To list” in remembering this ascension.
  Quatre days later, the August 11th, the prince of Moskowa, with his brother and his servant, makes a success of the fourth rise known with the Cazaux guides, Guillembet and Vincent of Luz, Baptiste Bareilles of Gavarnie and Jean Marie of Saint-Saver.

• 1869 - the February 11th, first winter of Vignemale by the count Henry Russell (1834-1909), Hippolyte and Henri Passet. It is the first great winter rise carried out in Europe.

• 1889 - the August 7th, first rise of the “Corridor of Gaube” by Burned Henri, Jean Bazillac and Roger de Monts led by the guides Célestin Passet and François Bernat-Rooms. “ It is attractive and provocante chimney of snow and ice open in the Northern of Vignemale, vertiginous and high wall 600 meters ”.

The same year, Henry Russell symbolically rents Vignemale for one 99 years duration. It climbs the top more than 35 times, of which the last after 70 years. It is made arrange 7 caves of which some are still visible.

• 1994 - the March 24th, Benoit Dandonneau, Christian Ravier and Remi Thivel open, in the northern face of Vignemale the way “the Delinquents of useless”.

Vignemale, more than one top: a solid mass of scale

The Massif of Vignemale seems particularly imposing, that it is since the valley of Ossoue, or since the valley of Gaube.

The Long Spade of Vignemale, enough " pointue" and of a raised altitude, is visible since many tops of the the even distant Pyrenees, but also from the town of Lourdes.

The sight since the top is splendid and extremely wide in clear weather.

Panorama since the top

Vignemale dominates all the area:

The race of Vignemale

In 1904 and 1906, the competition between the guides of Gavarnie and those of Cauterets led to an original competition: the race of Vignemale. It was a question for the competitors of starting from Cauterets, of going up the valley of Gaube, then the glacier of Ossoue, of arriving at the top of the Long Spade and of going down again by the collar of Labassa, the Lake Estom, the valley of Lutour, until Cauterets. The majority of the competitors made the race barefeet. The first winner was Jean-Marie Bordenave, in six hours one minute, exploit renewed in 1906 with five hours thirty-seven minutes. Since 1987, the municipality of Cauterets gave this race to the honor.

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