ᐅ Summit No. 3 Comapedrosa (Andorra) | Top Summits of the World

SUMMITS

SUMMIT Nº 3: COMAPEDROSA (ANDORRA)

ANDORRA

COMAPEDROSA

28 / 07 / 2018

ALTITUDE

2.942 m

BERNAT TORT, ORIOL BRUFAU, MIREIA FONTANET AND ANDREU LÓPEZ

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

MEDIUM

CHRONICLE

It is Thursday, July 26, 2018 and I am leaving the Igualada Notary Office for Andorra where I will spend a few days. It has not been an ordinary day when I went through the Notary Public and in fact I had never been in any, although the occasion deserves it since it is due to the incorporation of the company “Senders Financers, Sociedad Limitada”, a company of which I will be the Sole Administrator and through which I will be able to carry out the activity of financial and legal consulting. I leave the Notary’s Office in the middle of the afternoon satisfied with this important step taken at a professional level and heading to Andorra where I will also take steps, but this time not metaphorically speaking but really speaking and because of its mountains, which are one of my favorites for their marked and aggressive geography.

I arrive at the hotel around 9:00 p.m. in the evening and I don’t have much time to settle in since at 9:30 p.m. I have arranged to have dinner with Sònia. It is a friendship that we have not known each other for too long and that will go to Ireland for a while, a change of scenery that he tells me he needed. We have dinner, we are going to have a drink but we do not take too long since she has to finish preparing things and in my case I want to take advantage of the stay in Andorra to discover new mountains. The next day I will do the “Circular Circus of Pessons” route through its 17 lakes.

It’s Friday and I’ve taken the day off work, albeit partially since I attend to some work issues first thing in the morning. Having lunch and in a totally improvised way, I meet a “suomi” girl (from Finland) called Keyla who spends a few days on vacation in the Principality. I explain my trip to her country many years ago, she tells me about how she likes Catalonia (in fact she speaks Catalan quite well) as well as her strange and curious profession of “cheerleading” of which her country is a public figure. I explain my mountain plans for the day and he asks if he can come with me. I like her and despite the fact that the route has quite technical parts and I don’t know anything about it at a mountain level, I trust her, I venture out and tell her to go ahead. So in a totally improvised way we both started the excursion from the Grau Roig car park.

The “Circular Circus of Pessons” is one of the best mountain excursions I have done in the Principality since it alternates several things that I like. The route contains water since it runs through 17 lakes, the route has crest sections, the route contains some climbing sections, the route contains pie sections as well as quite rugged ascent sections that make it a very dynamic and entertaining route. Keila is logically not so comfortable and at some point she has a hard time but she shows attitude and courage that together with my assistance and support make it possible for us to complete the entire journey. The route “Circular Circo de Pessons” on a personal level will have been perfect for me to prepare the next day’s activity and that is that on Saturday we have a whole “Top Summit” in the mountain program such as the Comapedrosa summit that with its 2,942 meters it is the roof of the Principality. I speak in the plural since Bernat Tort and Oriol Brufau (lifelong friendship), Mireia Fontanet (Oriol Brufau’s partner) and Keila will accompany me in the promotion attempt, who despite the fact that resistance activities are not the ones that adapt better to his physical characteristics, he is excited to join our expedition.

We start walking from the town of Arinsal at 1,573 meters and very soon after starting we are “halfway” surprised to find familiar faces training like those of the trail running legend “Kilian Jornet”. I say “halfway” because Sunday there is the “Sky Race Comapedrosa” a scoring event for the world championship and in which the main swords of the trail running scene will make an appearance and the day before the starting gun go out to inspect the land.

After these initial distractions we focus on our route that progressively gains altitude until we reach the Pla de l’Estany Refuge at 2,067 meters which is surrounded by beautiful streams. From here the real “rock & roll” begins, since an uneven, steep and hard section awaits us in which in 2 km practically 900 meters of positive difference in altitude are saved.

I have a great time following milestones, gaining height and feeling that the leg muscles work very well and at full capacity. The landscape that remains on our shoulders is very beautiful, however, it is time to look ahead, the summit is already close and the embers and the human presence are perceived at not too great a distance. You can tell that it is a summit of the classics, of those that everyone wants to have on their resume since it is full of people. It is a beautiful point with a spectacular 360° panoramic view with privileged views of emblematic peaks such as Aneto and Pica de Estados. We take the obligatory photo with Oriol and Bernat (my oldest friends) as well as Mireia (Keila will arrive later since the ascent has been very expensive for her).

The descent is fun. We find a large clearing of snow through which we do ski simulations, we throw snowflakes on ourselves… and the fact is that snow is always exciting and teleports us years back in time as if we were in our primary school “White Cervola”. On the descent we will pass through l’Estany Negre as well as the Comapedrosa Refuge at 2,187 meters high. It is a “sociable” descent for me since without realizing it I get separated from my classmates talking first with some German girls who spend a few days camping in the area and then with an also unexpected meeting, Sergi, an ex-university classmate who He has always been linked to the world of sport and has reached the summit together with his partner.

We finish the circular route in Arinsal after working 15.5 km as well as having overcome a positive difference in altitude of almost 1,500 meters that makes our meal more than deserved as well as the right to watch the “Sky Race” from a distance and in a relaxed way. Comapedrosa” that how could it be otherwise our favorite and eternal runner Kilian Jornet would win.