Grand Astazou, Mountain summit in Hautes Pyrenees, France.
Grand Astazou is a mountain peak at approximately 3,070 meters (10,070 feet) located along the Franco-Spanish border in the Pyrenees. The summit can be reached from the French side via Gavarnie or from the Spanish side through the Pineta Valley.
The first documented ascent took place in 1879 when Count Russell and mountain guide Célestin Passet reached the summit. This early climb established the route for mountaineers who would follow in later years.
Locally the peak is also called Marmoré del Cul Oriental in Aragonese and Astazu Oriental in Catalan. Climbers usually start from the Pineta refuge at 1,240 m in the Pineta Valley on the Spanish side, or approach from Gavarnie on the French side.
The usual approach starts from the Pineta refuge in the Pineta Valley on the Spanish side, at 1,240 m, and the summit's prominence is 97 m. Snow patches can persist on the upper slopes into summer, so check conditions before setting out and carry equipment for steep snow and rock.
The summit's name in Aragonese, Marmorés d'el Cul Gran, refers to the marble-like rock of its upper face. The mountain also marks the watershed between the Adour basin, draining north to the Atlantic, and the Ebro basin, draining south to the Mediterranean. Its prominence is 97 metres.
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