Refuge L'Etang Pinet

The Refuge L'Etang Pinet is an FFCAM CAF hut located above Auzat in Ariège, directly on the banks of the small mountain lake Étang Pinet at around 2240 m above sea level. From here, the region's classic 3000 m peaks such as the Pic du Montcalm (3077 m) and the Pique d'Estats (3143 m) can be reached, which many rope teams tackle as a two-day tour with an overnight stay. The hut is manned throughout the summer season, usually from the beginning of June to the beginning of October, with an additional spring period in March and April if there are sufficient reservations, when the approach is often still wintry. From the valley, the marked mountain trail leads from the parking lot de l'Artigue (approx. 1180 m) up to the refuge in around 3.5 hours over an altitude difference of around 1000 meters; the trail initially follows the course of the stream, then winds steeply through the forest and finally reaches the open high valley with the lake. The hut offers 54 beds in four mattress dormitories and a simple, functional infrastructure with a dining room, sanitary facilities, running water, heating, electricity and showers (for a fee). Outside of the serviced period, a winter room with 18 storage spaces is open; according to the operator, there is no water, heating or gas here, which is why you have to plan your own fuel and water supply. In culinary terms, the team focuses on home-made cuisine with organic and, where possible, regional products, from Ariège cheese and traditional charcuterie to local beers and jams. This makes the refuge suitable both as a day destination in its own right, with a swim in the clear mountain lake, and as a base for mountaineering and ski tours. Historically, the hut dates back to an initiative by the municipality of Auzat at the end of the 1980s; after planning by architects Claude Branger and G. Romeu, it was inaugurated in 1993 in the then modern, light-colored sheet metal and wood style. As with all tours in the High Pyrenees: plan your route carefully, check current conditions, closures and the weather and avalanche situation, especially in the spring ski touring season in March and April.