20의 포스가지 명소 & 주요 장소

Impressive rock landmark

Also, stop at the Là Soulan hostel for a well-deserved break. Very warm welcome. 👍

NO REFUGIO. Cabin is closed

This is essentially a 14km clockwise loop. The ascent to the peaks is pretty well marked out although I’d always suggest downloading an offline route map. It’s not particularly technical just some simple clambering over a few steep rocky sections before the 1st col (Teyech). I wouldn’t fancy that rocky section if it’s frozen mind you. After the 2 stunning peaks the rest of the loop is a few kms along the ridge before turning down back through the forest. If it’s snowy, you’ll very easily lose the path (i did a lot) so another good reason to download the route.

When you start the Col de Menté through Sant Beat, right on the first ramp, you come across this work of art, which can be admired from the road.

One of the mythical Pyrenean ports of the Tour de France, known largely for the tragic fall of Luis Ocaña in the 1971 Tour when he was leading the general classification. Its 2 aspects have a lot of crumbs: - west slope that starts from Saint Béat: it is the hardest. It is 9.7 km with an average slope of 8.7%. It is a very constant climb, with a small break when passing through Boux. The first part is a little harder and uglier since you barely have any views and you go up through the middle of a valley. The final part is spectacular with its many horseshoe curves, good panoramic views and the monument to the place where Luis Ocaña fell. - east slope: it is longer, with an initial section of 7 km very winding with a slope of 4%. It also has a break in its intermediate zone. Once the hard part starts, it is also very constant, like the west slope, although the average slope is 7-8%. This aspect has even more twists than the previous one. For more information, consult the profile published by cylcingcols.com -- > http://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Mente

There’s something about climbing marble

This rock wall is in fact the vestige of a spectacular old quarry which was for a long time one of the main activities of Saint Béat, the city of marble. It still bears traces of exploitation, the oldest of which date back to Antiquity, a time during which Saint-Béat was known as a "Passus Lupi" (passage of the wolf), because the narrowing of this part of the Val d'Aran n It would then have allowed only skinny wolves to pass without getting their paws wet in the Garonne. This ancient stronghold commanded the Garonne valley and its strategic importance had made it nicknamed the “key to France”. For centuries, Saint-Béat remained best known for its white marble quarries, undoubtedly discovered while seeking to widen the narrow passage and exploited since Gallo-Roman times. Local legend did not hesitate to say that its marble was used to build Trajan's Column in Rome. This is naturally false. Widely used during the reign of Louis XIV and particularly at Versailles, the quarries were then neglected or abandoned, only to be rediscovered in the 19th century. Today, nine marble quarries of various colors are still being exploited in Saint-Béat, including one underground. But the operation of this concession located on the side of the road was abandoned and the place was rehabilitated as a climbing site.