Have your own adventure with the #1 outdoor app today.
France 🇫🇷 Pyrénées: Ariège - Lievre Blanc Chairlift Top Station 🚡 from Refuge du Ruhle 🥾 #MyPurposefulAdventure #TrashFreeTrails
France 🇫🇷 Pyrénées: Ariège - Lievre Blanc Chairlift Top Station 🚡 from Refuge du Ruhle 🥾 #MyPurposefulAdventure #TrashFreeTrails
Seán Donohoe went for a hike
August 16, 2026 at 06:18
France 🇫🇷 Pyrénées: Ariège - Lievre Blanc Chairlift Top Station 🚡 from Refuge du Ruhle 🥾 #MyPurposefulAdventure #TrashFreeTrails
01:52
10.7km
5.7km/h
650m
830m
Day 2: Post-refuge return via a deep valley
After a night of broken sleep in the refuge, we were all a bit weary! However it was a beautiful morning and the location was fantastic. Unfortunately the refuge had run out of drinking water, so we were dependent on the remains of what we had brought with us the day before.
We set off for the return, looking forward to a different route, to see some more of the area. After reaching Col de Belh, we descended steeply down a track next to / above a stream in a quiet valley. This was spectacular but caution was required!
At the bottom, we encountered lots of cows, although they all seemed fairly relaxed and didn't bother us. There was a small farmer's hut, where we were grateful to fill up our water bottles from an outside tap.
Then the toughest section of the day followed. A steep 400 m ascent on an often vague grassy / muddy / heathery path. This certainly got the heart rate going! At the top was a prominent rock on the grassy ridge, we decided to have our lunch here and take in the views.
From here, the going was easier as we skirted a shallow valley (with another farmer's hut) and then took a gradually ascending traverse path to eventually reach the broad gravel track we used the previous day.
Here we could see the ski infrastructure so we were returning to civilisation. It was mostly downhill from here. We reached the chairlift, very glad to find it running! It was a very serene journey back down to the resort, where we had a celebratory drink before taking the cable car steeply down to Ax-Les-Thermes.
We finished with a relaxing foot dip in the outdoor spa in Ax. This is how all treks should end! 😄 A great adventure overall, with a great gang.
Waypoints
Bagged Peaks
Route Details
Elevation
Highest point (2,340 m)
Lowest point (1,800 m)
Sign up to see more specific route details
Sign up for free
Comments
Want to know more?
Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.