The 14 Most Amazing Peaks around Ustou

Fantastic panoramic views all around; this summit is well worth it, as you can see from my two panorama photos. Ascent from Estany de Sotllo via the pass. I took the partly exposed scrambling/climbing ridge via Pic Verdaguer. Beautiful scrambling; you just have to be careful to stay on the right track. Descent around the summit, then back to the same pass and down past the same beautiful mountain lakes, and via the Valferrera Hut into the valley. The length and roughness of this route surprised me. Luckily, I didn't start my ascent from the hut. The section along the mountainside, especially above the hut, was quite challenging. There are frequent short climbs over rocky outcrops, and at one point, I found myself on a side path below the main trail, which then ended in the undergrowth. After a short climb, everything was fine again.

I think making this peak a highlight of my run is quite a challenge. Taking the easiest route via the Refuge de Pinet would be at least challenging mountain trail running. Inexperienced runners should definitely be aware of the altitude and terrain.

A well-known 3000-meter peak entirely on the French side, with a flat summit (and bivouac stone walls). There are four ascent routes: -from the east from the Étang de Soulcem (T4) -from the north via the Refuge du Pinet (T3+) -from the northeast (steep T4+ gully, dangerous in icy conditions) -from the Spanish side (south) with an easy intermediate descent (T3+) Designed as a "mountain hiking" highlight, as some tours go beyond simple "hiking." I combined the tour with the Sotllo (T4+).

I created the summit myself as a "highlight" for mountain hiking, as my chosen long loop, including the Pic de Sotllo, was a bit more challenging. The "normal route" via the Refuge de Pinet is technically easier and lacks any real climbing. However, I find the mountain hiking category more appropriate due to the altitude and terrain. Unfortunately, Komoot makes my highlight invisible to others on the map. As has happened with several of my previous highlights in other regions, where I marked the only point.

This 3000-meter peak on the French side of the Pyrenees' main ridge is relatively easy to reach via the Refuge de Pinet, but requires a significant elevation gain from the parking lot. Therefore, using the hut is recommended; it also has a room open in winter (€8 unattended). Another ascent from the northeast allows for a "crossing," but it has a steep gully (which, when icy, almost caused me a nasty fall in October 2014). A third ascent option leads from the east, from the reservoir, over the shared pass with the Pica d'Estats. Needless to say, there's a fantastic view from the summit. Only the view to the south is limited by the slightly higher Pica d'Estats, which is why hikers with good fitness and surefootedness are recommended to climb the latter from the shared pass.

The small secondary peak of the Pica d'Estats. If you've made it to the gap between the two, you should also take this peak. An additional 3000m peak for free (if you don't take the 30m gap height too seriously 😉).

The summit can be reached from several sides. The direct route from the Spanish side to the summit ridge is challenging (I estimate it to be T5 according to the SAC scale). However, you can "cheat" by first crossing the pass to the left to the north side, after which you have to descend a bit to reach the trail from the French side. The technically easiest ascent is certainly from the north via the Refuge du Pinet (T3). However, from the parking lot at L'Artigue, the total elevation gain is around 2,000 meters, which is why staying overnight at the refuge is a good option (a winter room was open in October 2024, €8 per night). I chose the third option, from the Étang de Soulcem. From there, it's "only" 1,500 meters of elevation gain with a difficulty of T3+/T4-. However, I chose a variant for the ascent (see my tour) that isn't on the map and that I would rate as T4+.

The Pic d'Estats is a peak in the Pyrenees which is located on the French-Spanish border at 3,143 meters above sea level. It is the highest point of Ariège but also of Catalonia.