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Puigmal Fontalba

Mountain·SpainFranceSpain / France

Puigmal

2,910m

Pyrenees

Summit weather

Jordi Torallas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
2,910m
Prominence
1,331m
Isolation
26km
Relief
1,628mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
44°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Oct–JunSee month by month ↓
Summit
42.3833°N, 2.1169°E

Mountain in the Pyrenees

Puigmal is a mountain in the Pyrenees (Spain). Its summit stands 2,910 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,331 m, and the nearest higher ground is 26 km away.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,282 m), it rises 1,628 m. The steepest side is the south face: 24° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 44° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Planoles, 8 km away at 1,142 m: 1,768 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Puigmal 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

9.0/10

Difficulty to the top

Mountain walk

Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale.

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

  • 2.5/2.519 waymarked routes and 128 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.56 huts and shelters
  • 1.8/21,768 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.3/1.51,331 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.59 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.3/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

6.9/10

  • 3.0/474 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.539 ski lifts
  • 0.0/1.5lift station heights not mapped
  • 2.4/34 months of snow at about 1,642 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Beginner 16 km
  • Easy 21 km
  • Intermediate 16 km
  • Difficult 9 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 1,642 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to March (some years from November to March).

  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

39 lifts · 0 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 Puigmal

At the summit, snow from October to June. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit2,910 msnow from October to June
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 monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,026 msnow from November to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Planoles1,142 moccasional snow from January to February
Snow some of the timeSnow some of the timeNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
  • 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

Puigmal, 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 July afternoon the summit reaches about 15 °C; on February nights it falls to about -14 °C. In 5 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 5,170 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, July is the driest month (44 mm) and May the wettest (73 mm).

1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 m5,000 mSUMMIT · 2,910 mPLANOLES · 1,142 mJanuary: 2,000 mFebruary: 2,030 mMarch: 2,570 mApril: 3,140 mMay: 3,780 mJune: 4,630 mJuly: 5,170 mAugust: 5,140 mSeptember: 4,400 mOctober: 3,690 mNovember: 2,600 mDecember: 2,090 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CPlanoles high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-6-1462,00057114.6
February-6-1462,03047105.5
March-2-1292,57055106.2
April2-9133,14069136.4
May6-5173,78073137.4
June11-1234,63049109.1
July151265,1704489.9
August141265,14046109.1
September10-2214,40048107.8
October5-6173,69064116.2
November-2-10102,60067124.9
December-5-1362,09047114.6

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 1,769 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
2,910 m1,579 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
2,910 m1,019 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 12°NNE: 19°NEE: 16°ESE: 22°SES: 24°SSW: 22°SWW: 19°WNW: 23°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 Puigmal

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

Puigmal 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.

  • 6mountain huts and shelters

    Refugi Corral Blanc (1,815 m), Caseta del Canal (1,650 m), Cabane de la Culasse (1,830 m), Refuge de la Matte and 2 more

  • 4cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Telacadira de la Pala, Combe des Rameaux, Cotzé, Telecabina Coma del Clot

  • 4ski areas

    Cambre d'Aze, Puigmal 2900, Estació de muntanya Vall de Núria, Espace Cambre d'Aze

  • 19waymarked hiking routes

    HRP Étape 35, HRP Variante 35.1, HRP Variante 35.2, Voie de Valcebollère and 15 more

  • —via ferratas
  • 3climbing crags and routes

    La Lleixa, Gours, Site de Llo

  • —named glaciers
  • 19viewpoints

    Mirador de Núria, Mirador del Salt del Sastre, Roc del Boc, Mirador del Llac and 15 more

  • 12campsites

    Zona d'acampada, Camping Las Closas, Càmping Can Fosses, GCU Err and 8 more

  • 27hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hôtel Planes, Le Crapahuteur, Hôtel Le Jardin, Hotel Vall de Núria and 23 more

  • 38restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

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

T1T2T3T4T5
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Planoles8 km · 1,142 m
  • Ribes de Freser10 km · 1,077 m
  • Osséja12 km · 1,251 m
  • Llívia14 km · 1,217 m
  • Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via15 km · 1,776 m
  • la Guingueta d'Ix15 km · 1,143 m
  • Puigcerdà16 km · 1,202 m
  • Campdevànol18 km · 803 m

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

Coll de Coma Ermada amb el Puigmal al fons - P1080875
Pere López Brosa · CC BY-SA 4.0
Footpath to Puigmal Mt. - panoramio
Santiago PUIG VILADO… · 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-6-6-226111514105-2-5
2020+1.5+5.6+0.8+1.3+2.4−3.1−1.0+0.3−1.3−3.1+2.7−1.2
2021−3.2+3.6+0.5−0.6−0.6−0.8−0.4+1.2+0.5+0.4−2.8+1.8
2022+1.8+3.5±0.0+0.2+3.4+4.6+5.4+2.2+1.3+3.6+2.4+2.7
2023−1.1+1.5+3.8+2.1−0.5−0.1+2.6+2.4+4.3+4.0+2.2+2.6
2024+3.3+4.2+1.8+0.4±0.0−0.9+1.9+3.0−1.7+0.3+3.0+1.2
2025+2.0+3.3−1.5+1.6+0.5+4.5±0.0+2.0+0.5+1.1+0.1+1.3

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q17477) · 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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