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Mountain·FranceSpainFrance / Spain

Balaïtous

3,144m

Balaitus Massif

Summit weather

Gerard · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
3,144m
Prominence
849m
Relief
1,579mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
62°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Oct–JulSee month by month ↓
Summit
42.8389°N, 0.2903°W

Mountain in France

Balaïtous is a mountain in the Balaitus Massif (France). Its summit stands 3,144 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 849 m.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,565 m), it rises 1,579 m. The steepest side is the north-west face: 38° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 62° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Sallent de Gállego, 8 km away at 1,289 m: 1,855 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Balaïtous for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

9.6/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T5 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.510 waymarked routes and 194 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.511 huts and shelters
  • 1.9/21,855 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.3/1.5849 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.59 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 1.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

8.8/10

  • 3.7/4196 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.554 ski lifts
  • 0.6/1.5631 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/35 months of snow at about 1,724 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Beginner 6 km
  • Easy 69 km
  • Intermediate 74 km
  • Difficult 36 km
  • Expert 3 km
  • Freeride 6 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 1,724 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to April (some years from November to April).

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

54 lifts · lift stations from 1,409 to 2,040 m · 16 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Balaïtous

At the summit, snow from October to July (some years from September to July). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,144 msnow from October to July (some years from September to July)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowSnow some of the timeSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,216 msnow from November to May
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Sallent de Gállego1,289 msnow from January to March (some years from December to March)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow some of the time
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Balaïtous, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average August afternoon the summit reaches about 10 °C; on February nights it falls to about -16 °C. In 6 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In August the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,720 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, August is the driest month (52 mm) and November the wettest (93 mm).

1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 m5,000 mSUMMIT · 3,144 mSALLENT DE GÁLLEGO · 1,289 mJanuary: 1,860 mFebruary: 1,930 mMarch: 2,500 mApril: 3,000 mMay: 3,530 mJune: 4,290 mJuly: 4,690 mAugust: 4,720 mSeptember: 4,130 mOctober: 3,500 mNovember: 2,460 mDecember: 2,000 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CSallent de Gállego high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-8-1641,86087133.0
February-8-1641,93069114.7
March-4-1482,50075126.0
April-1-11113,00086156.7
May2-8153,53093147.1
June7-4204,29065118.3
July10-2224,69052108.6
August10-2224,72052108.1
September6-5184,13056107.4
October2-8143,50070125.4
November-4-1382,46093143.7
December-8-1552,00074123.2

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 981 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east
3,144 m1,338 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,144 m1,844 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 33°NNE: 25°NEE: 28°ESE: 34°SES: 17°SSW: 20°SWW: 32°WNW: 38°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Balaïtous

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Balaïtous seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches Ours at 2,040 m — just 1,104 m below the summit.

  • 11mountain huts and shelters

    Refuge Wallon - Marcadau (1,865 m), Refuge de Migouélou (2,278 m), Refuge du Balaïtous-Ledormeur (1,884 m), Refugio de Respomuso (2,220 m) and 7 more

  • 6cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Furco, Sallent, Sorbiers, Ponts de Camps and 2 more

  • 8ski areas

    Estación de Esquí Aramón Formigal, Gourette, Artouste, Cauterets and 4 more

  • 10waymarked hiking routes

    Étape 12, HRP Étape 13, Ruta circular de los Infiernos-Ibones Azules-Bachimañaa, Lac du Plaa de Prat and 6 more

  • 2via ferratas
  • 3climbing crags and routes

    Petruso

  • 9named glaciers

    Glacier du Pabat, Glacier de la Brêche Latour, Glacier de Las Néous, Glaciar del Infierno and 5 more

  • 7viewpoints

    Mirador de San Mames, Le barrage and 5 more

  • 10campsites

    Bivouac, Aire de bivouac du refuge d'Arrémoulit, Aire de bivouac du Refuge Wallon, bivouac area and 6 more

  • 33hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hébergement associatif Béarn Pont de Camps, Gîte d'Étape les Viellettes, Domo, Hotel Saliecho and 29 more

  • 38restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

194 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5T6
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking
  • T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Sallent de Gállego8 km · 1,289 m
  • Cauterets15 km · 850 m
  • Hoz de Jaca17 km · 1,267 m
  • Laruns20 km · 528 m
  • Pierrefitte-Nestalas22 km · 481 m
  • Biescas24 km · 860 m
  • Canfranc24 km · 1,056 m
  • Luz-Saint-Sauveur24 km · 719 m
Car hire at LDE airport (Tarbes/Lourdes/Pyrénées)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Randonnée au col d'Hospitalet
Bilder von Bendtsen · CC BY 2.0
Arriel
Babylas · CC BY-SA 3.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-8-8-4-127101062-4-8
2020+2.0+5.2+0.6+1.5+2.2−2.6−0.3+0.5−0.1−3.5+3.3−1.0
2021−2.4+4.0+0.4−0.6−1.0−0.1−1.1+0.6+1.0+0.2−2.8+2.6
2022+1.3+3.2+1.2−0.5+3.6+4.0+5.2+4.1+1.7+4.1+2.4+2.8
2023−1.3+1.4+2.8+1.5−0.1+0.4+2.1+2.7+4.5+4.0+1.8+2.1
2024+3.6+3.7+2.0+0.9−0.5−0.4+2.4+2.7−2.4+0.9+3.7+1.3
2025+2.1+3.7−0.1+1.8+1.2+5.2+1.3+3.8+1.2+1.7+0.9+1.6

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

3,299 mVignemaleSpainSpain14 km away3,355 mMonte PerdidoSpainSpain32 km away2,886 mCollaradaSpainSpain20 km away3,328 mCilindro de MarboréSpainSpain31 km away2,877 mPic du Midi de BigorreFranceFrance37 km away2,446 mMesa de los Tres ReyesSpainSpain37 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q2298456) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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