Tash's Blog

We went back up to the Agulles d'Amitges again the following day, and this time were more successful with completing a route.

Tash just arriving at the belay after the first pitch of 'Marti-Busquets' on the Agulla Gran d'Amitges.

Me on the second pitch - a 45m long mainly bridging and back/footing corner.

Tash seconding the same.

On the top of the Agulla Gran d'Amitges, overlooking the Amitges lake and refuge.

A perfect overhanging splitter crack on the Agulla Petita d'Amitges - still waiting for a free ascent.

Back to base camp for a good old sort...

...and then try and get it all back into the rucksacks!

...before we set off to walk around to the Coma de l'Abeller valley.

Getting lost and frustrated trying to contour round from the main valley into the smaller hanging Coma de l'Abeller valley following the non-existent 'path' over some pretty steep ground. This felt very different and much wilder than the main valley, without a single patch of flat grass anywhere and the only water running well below the glacial scree field and out of reach, despite being able to hear it flowing.

Eventually we made it up to the end of the valley and found our objective - the incredible Caputxi tower, lying among the Agulles de Bassiero. This was by far the best rock I'd seen in the whole of the Amitges area and possibly in the Pyrenees so far. A perfect needle of solid granite, with the impressively steep and blank south face split by a continuous flake crack giving the route 'Deja vu'.

After well over an hour looking for a place to pitch the tent, only finding a tiny bivi shelter hidden among the boulders, I walked 20-30 mins back down the valley and found an idyllic flat grassy spot next to where the water resurfaced - perfect!