Pic de Tristagne, Mountain summit on the France–Andorra border, Pyrenees
Pic de Tristagne is a mountain summit in the Pyrenees that forms the natural border between France and Andorra. The peak reaches approximately 2,900 meters (9,500 feet) and features glacial lakes on its southern face.
The name derives from the Latin tria stagna, "three lakes", after the three Tristaina lakes below the summit. The peak lies on the axial chain of the Pyrenees, in a prolongation of the Pallaresa anticlinal dome formed during the Variscan orogeny from Cambro-Ordovician schists, here metamorphosed into micaschist. Quaternary glaciations carved three cirques around it, including the Tristaina cirque to the south, giving it the shape of a horn.
The name Tristaina comes from the Latin tria stagna, "three ponds", after the three lakes of Tristaina below the summit. Since 2017 a 1.40 m metal estripagecs stands on top, a reduced copy of the figures Pere Moles placed in the Sorteny nature park; five identical sculptures mark other Ordino peaks such as Casamanya and Font Blanca.
The climb typically starts from Coma d'Arc parking area at around 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) in the Ordino-Arcalis ski resort. The ascent involves several hours of hiking through changing mountain terrain and requires standard alpine fitness.
The summit is capped by a 1.40 m metal sculpture of an estripagecs, placed in 2017. It is a reduced copy of the figures artist Pere Moles installed in the Sorteny nature park, and identical sculptures stand on five other Ordino peaks: Casamanya, Cataperdís, Estanyó, Font Blanca and Serrère.
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