Seul au sommet du Pic de Lustou (3023 m)… en juillet !

On Friday, July 3rd, I set off to climb Pic de Lustou (3023 m), one of the major peaks in the Hautes-Pyrénées. A few unforeseen circumstances delayed my departure, and it was already 8:05 a.m. when I left the Frédancon parking lot, at the end of the magnificent Rioumajou Valley. This valley is one of my favorites in the Pyrenees: wild, unspoiled, and dominated by some of the most beautiful peaks in the range. Ahead of me, nearly 1650 meters of elevation gain awaited me. It was going to be a long day. The trail first crosses the forest before reaching the summer pastures. Little by little, the landscape changes completely: the trees disappear, scree slopes take over, and the mountain becomes increasingly rocky until the final ridge. A demanding, physically demanding hike, but absolutely stunning from beginning to end. What struck me most that day wasn't the difficulty of the climb. It was a Friday in July, in the middle of hiking season. I expected to run into a few mountain enthusiasts... but I didn't encounter a single person all day. Not one hiker. Not on the way up, not at the summit, not even on the entire descent. A solitude that has become quite rare on such a renowned peak. After more than 1,650 meters of climbing, the panorama is simply breathtaking. From the 3,023-meter summit of Pic de Lustou, the view stretches across the Néouvielle massif, the towering peaks of the Aure Valley, the Posets on the Spanish side, and a large part of the Pyrenees mountain range. At a time when the Tour de France is putting the Pyrenees back in the spotlight with its legendary stages to the Tourmalet and Gavarnie, I wanted to take you to discover another side of the mountains: that of the great, wild peaks, far from the crowds and the noise. 📍 Starting point: Frédancon parking lot 📍 Rioumajou Valley (Saint-Lary-Soulan) ⛰️ Summit: Pic de Lustou (3023 m) 📈 Elevation gain: approximately 1650 m 🥾 Difficulty: challenging 🎥 Filmed in 4K with a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 👍 If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to AraTrek. Every week, I take you on the most beautiful hikes in the Pyrenees, from well-known routes to more secluded peaks. 💬 Tell me in the comments: which Pyrenean peak gave you the strongest feeling of freedom or solitude?