Lariste (2168m) - 3 peaks, and a frontier walk with a descent via a forgotten valley - overview Appearances, to wheel out an well-worn cliché, can be deceptive. This certainly applies to Lariste. Relatively modest in altitude and appearing more like a hill than a mountain when seen from the Spanish side, it conceals a an exposed ridge and a precipitous face on its NW flank. The vertiginous views down wild terrain into Lazerque on the French side are exceptional and, being rarely frequented, evoke Lariste seen from the approach along feelings of remoteness and the Spanish side of the frontier isolation. And this less than an hour’s walk from a busy col. Lariste is, in fact, the third named peak on this section of the frontier which is first breeched at the Col de Pau after a steep but pleasant and trouble-free ascent from the car park next to the stream known as Labrénére. On the whole the route presents no technical difficulties and route-finding is relatively straight forward even though , after the Col de Pau, it covers ground where paths can be vague and sometimes, briefly, disappear all together. From the beginning of the itinerary surroundings change and at every turn different and unexpected views present themselves. Striding along the frontier with panoramic landscapes on both sides is an experience not to be missed. And the descent to the Cabane de Bonaris down an un-mapped valley proves to be the icing on the cake!
The charming Cabane de Bonaris on the route up to the Col de Pau