From Berga to Pica d’Estats in winter with the Bestard Alp FF, by Pau Calado
A short description of this adventure
Text and photos by Pau Calado
The idea of this trek was to start from my house in Berga, and walk and climb all the way up to the summit of Pica d’Estats, the highest peak in Catalonia and one of the Pyrenean three-thousanders that I love the most. And what’s more, to do this in winter, in winter conditions.
My philosophy and why I do it
In most of my adventures I follow a philosophy that totally connect me with the mountain on a very personal level and that makes me live everything much more intensely and in a much purer way. With as much autonomy as possible (this does not exclude recharging the food supply on-route), without using sheltered mountain huts or anything similar, at most staying overnight in some free hut.
Personally, I like a lot more to refrain from all that kind of “comforts” that are increasingly popular and sought after nowadays.
On this occasion I went with my good companion Joan Marcé, who also is studying to beacome a mountain guide. We get along very well and together we make a very good team, which is very important for undertaking succesfully this type of trekking, especially in winter terrain.
Why in winter
It is worth mentioning that I have already done this same adventure successfully but in a much more summery season. I normally film my adventures both for my YouTube channel and for my other social networks, but unfortunately I lost all the videos I recorded after entering Andorra. So that left me with a “thorn in my side” and I wanted to repeat the tour again. So this winter, as I wanted to do a slightly longer trek in winter to continue improving my level in mountain activities, having already done this same route was the decisive point for me to do it, as I felt much safer as I already knew the route.
Summit day and hard times
Throughout this adventure we had several hard moments, especially my partner with less experience in winter terrain, and also due to the fear of possible avalanches when it snowed, or because of the type of snow on the ground.
The hardest day, I would say, was the summit day. We woke up at 4am to minimise risks and to have more time in case of any setbacks. Seeing the first light of day, with all the terrain covered in snow, was very special. When we reached the pass that gives access to the north face to climb Pica d’Estats by the more classic route, my partner felt more insecure due to the type of snow we found there. Since I felt very comfortable on the terrain, we decided that he would wait for me at the pass and I would try to make the summit alone.
To see him turning back, when he had been such a good companion throughout the whole traverse, was painful. Just because he didn’t feel ready for that last stretch and had to give up the summit…. That shows a lot about him and I am very grateful to him.
When I continued to the top, on the last stretch I encountered a lot of ice combined with rocks, which made me fear the descent, but finally I reached the summit and everything went as planned.
I made it to the top on the 21st of March, and although it was the first days of spring, it was still in winter conditions. We had planned to start this tour a few days earlier, in order to have a more “real” winter, but due to the dates, unfourtunately it was not possible.
The fundamental role of my Bestard Alp FF Boots in this challenge
To make this challenge possible, the footwear I used played a fundamental role. I had to walk a lot, both in urban areas, such as walking through Andorra, or when we passed through villages. On the other hand, the more technical sections, starting in the Sierra del Cadi and going down its north face, or when we got closer to Pica and found sections with a lot of snow, with some more technical sections, I needed boots allowing for the use of crampons for the progression. For all of these reasons, the Bestard Alp FF was a model that was very well suited to these needs.
The lincredible low weight of this model was also very appreciated. I had previously been using the Advance K Pro model for various mountain activities, especially in several long hikes such as “Berga – Pica d’Estats in summer” and “HRP or Alta Ruta Pirenaica 2×3000”, and I was also very happy with them, but the difference in weight, especially when there are many days of activity, is very much appreciated.
For more information about this adventure you can see the three episodes that I have on my YouTube channel:
BERGA – PICA d’ESTATS en INVERNAL | Cap. 1
.Mi TRAVESÍA MÁS EXTREMA | BERGA – PICA D’ESTATS en INVERNAL | Cap. 2
.*MOMENTOS DUROS* en el ATAQUE a CIMA | BERGA – PICA D’ESTATS en INVERNAL | Cap. 3
Pau Calado
