The 3000m border peaks of the Ordesa National Park - click for a bigger image

From the Monrepos pass you get a superb vista across the Pyrenees including this fantastic view of the Ordesa National Park. You can see ten of the 3000m peaks, the cliffs of the Ordesa Valley and even the Faja de las Flores. Click on the photo to get a larger clearer picture.
This long ridge of high peaks forms the French border starting with the west and east peaks of Gabieto (3036m and 3033m respectively) on the far left. Moving to the right the next peak is Taillón (3144m) – allegedly the easiest three thousander in the Pyrenees.

The next two features are called the Falsa Brecha and the Brecha de Rolando (Roland’s breach at 2807m). Legend tells that the Brecha de Roland was created when the christian general Roland, chased by the moorish army, was hemmed in by the peaks of Ordesa. To escape he drew his sword and cleaved this huge cleft in the cliffs.

The Brecha is the only easy place to cross over to France and from here you can easily walk down to the Cirque de Gavarnie. The Falsa Brecha is so named as in bad weather you can mistake this for the actual Brecha.

The Brecha de Roland in summer taken from the Faja de las Flores

Continuing along the border ridge the next peaks are El Casco (the helmet, 3006m), Torre de Marboré (3009m) and Espalda de Marboré (3073m).

The remaining peaks are on a spur off the border ridge and the highest in the park. Cilindro (3325m), Monte Perdido (3355m) and Pico de Añisclo (3259m) are collectively know as the Tresorores (or Treserols) roughly translating to the three old men from ancient Spanish. These are a superb trio of peaks that sit at the head of the Ordesa Valley with Monte Perdido being the third highest peak in the Pyrenees. The final summit is Punta Olas just creeping in as a three thousander at 3002m.

Along the cliffs of the Ordesa Valley, underneath El Casco you canmake out a thin horizontal line of snow. This is the famous Faja de las Flores a narrow ledge eroded high into the cliffs with a dizzying 500m drop just a metre away!

Fancy scaling one of these peaks? Take a look at Hike Pyrenees Refugio Week which spends three days in the park staying at Refugio Goriz and tackles Monte Perdido.

Close up of Cilindro while climbing Monte Perdido on our Refugio Week