The Pica d'Estats (in Occitan: Pica d'Estats, in French: Pique d'Estats) is a mountain of 3,143 meters, located between the region of Pallars Sobirà and the French department of Arieja, and which is the highest peak high of Catalonia.[1] It is located at the end of the Vallferrera and the banks of Sotllo, within the protected area of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park. It is the culminating point of the Montcalm massif and is made up of three peaks, not far apart from each other. The central peak, the Pica d'Estats, the western peak or Verdaguer peak (3,129 m) and the eastern peak or punta de Gabarró (3,114.6 m), where there is a geodesic vertex.

The south wall of the mountain, furrowed by numerous channels, flows into the Coma d'Estats, forming the front of the glacial cirque where the Estany d'Estats lake is located. The ridge marks the border between Spain and France, and the existing one between Catalonia and Occitania, with a general orientation that goes from north-northwest to south-east.

This peak is included in the challenge of the 100 peaks of the Federation of Excursionist Organizations of Catalonia (FEEC).

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Julien Harté

March 15, 2023

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

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Ralf G Foto 📷🏔🏞🌄🌠🐐🦋🐛

November 3, 2024

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+.

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Elevation 3,070 m

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Saturday 20 December

-2°C

-8°C

67 %

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Max wind speed: 18.0 km/h

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Take Me There

Location: Alins, Pallars Sobira, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

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Pica d'Estats Summit

1. Pica d'Estats Summit – Pic Verdaguer loop from Esterri de Cardós

2. Pic Verdaguer – Pica d'Estats Summit loop from Auzat

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