Chaos de Coumély (via ferrata)

Edited moments from a traverse of the via ferrata at Le Chaos de Coumély near the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Haute-Pyrenees in France. Via ferrata is where passage across difficult terrain and cliffs is supported by a bolted cable into which the climber can connect a safety device called a via ferrata set. Crucially, the via ferrata set provides shock absorption in the event of a fall so that your back is not broken as the rope goes taut. The set uses two connection lanyards so that when crossing bolts in the cable, the user is always connected by at least one of those lanyards. This can be seen in practice in this video. Additionally, via ferratas frequently feature additional equipment such as rungs and mini platforms to assist climbing. In particular, the French style seems to favour more sporty, difficult routes that use more equipment. The centrepiece of this via ferrata is a bridge crossing which, although slightly wobbly, squeaky and slanted, should not pose any major problems, provided it is taken slowly and the user has a head for heights. The name of the area, Le Chaos de Coumély, refers to the chaos of large glacial erratics at the base of the valley. This traverse of the via ferrata at Le Chaos de Coumély was undertaken on 14th April, 2025. Park here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dW6uG3dmMQS8C... #ChaosDeCoumély #viaferrata #pyrenees #CirquedeGavarnie