Pic Palas, Summit in Hautes-Pyrénées and Huesca Province, France and Spain.

Pic Palas is a granite summit in the Pyrenees that rises to 2,974 meters and forms a natural border between France and Spain. The mountain displays steep rock faces and ridges that can be approached from several directions.

The first ascent of Pic Palas was made by mistake in 1825, when geodesists Peytier and Hossard, intending to climb the Balaïtous, reached the summit in fog. Jacques Orteig made the second ascent in 1871; the Orteig chimney is named after him. The Arriel–Palas–Balaïtous ridge, on the watershed, later served as the line for the Franco-Spanish border.

The name comes from the Occitan word pala, meaning a steep, smooth slope. The first ascent, in 1825, was made by mistake in fog by the geodesists Peytier and Hossard, who had set out for the Balaïtous. Jacques Orteig made the second ascent in 1871, and the Orteig chimney on the south-west ridge bears his name.

The usual route from the French side goes by the Refuge d'Arrémoulit and the Brèche des Géodésiens, graded PD sup with II-grade passages and some very exposed spots toward the west face. The Orteig-Ledormeur chimney, reached from the Spanish side, leads onto the south-west ridge at PD inf; red markings were visible in 2015. Stay on the itinerary in the steep, dihedral-shaped chimney, which has many reliable holds.

The first ascent, in 1825, was a mistake: geodesists Peytier and Hossard, lost in fog, had set out for the Balaïtous. Jacques Orteig made the second ascent in 1871, and the Orteig chimney on the south-west ridge still carries his name.