book "The Maladeta massif"

GRATITUDE

Walking around the Pyrenees, we check out that neither the maps nor the books nor the reviews are perfect. Like more we go there, more notice the errors that they contain, geographical, as well as toponymic. This lapses or mistakes reflects the difficulty that these types of works have, that require a deep and serious fieldwork, which never finishes. If we learn to go to the mountain with critical spirit, we can among all, little by little, improve the documental sources for the common good.

Tòfol Tobal has taught how to go to the mountain with this disposition to me. Fruit of the experience and good knowledge of certain parts of the Pyrenees, and without any spirit of protagonism, have appeared a series of proposals, the most important of which are around the Maladeta massif. He is the culprit of me being a coauthor of this book, and he is who has made me live great sensations exploring this massif.

A very special gratitude to Xesca Ribas and Josep Barot who have accompanied me to prepare this itineraries, and also go out as models in many of the pictures giving a human perspective to theese big mountains.

Jordi Pons

The detailed description of the itineraries, besides the sketches and the images, they are a work of Jordi Pons, technician in mountain sports. He is a mountaineer with big experience in the Pyrenees, Alpes and Himalaya, a thorough trainer of the logistics, and an all-purpose vehicle with two legs. He is in fact the author of the central body of this guide. On the other hand, Ramon Solís describes himself as a symbiosis of mountaineer and biologist. Each plant or animal, by insignificant that they seem, he knows them. Difficult it would have been to find some colleagues who, in more of having similar restlessness, it were neighbors that the fate has joined wall to wall. Because we, all mountaineers, know that going to the mountain with friends is a pleasure. The long hours of preparation of the itineraries, the shelter or the bivouac, with cool water, the wine and the food of circumstances, it makes us have an unforgettable remembrance of some moments that now we make yours.

Either I want to stop making mention of my friend and partner of ascents Jofre Torelló, in recognition of the time used in fieldwork and making and reworking pictures of this massif. Also our gratitude to Xesca Ribas and Josep Barot, who acompany Jordi Pons in many of the long described itineraries.

This work had not been able to be made individually. I have always believed in the team as a means of research. In this guide each one has brought his skill, the technique and the science for a common goal. We want to thank the publishing editorial the total freedom that has allowed us, therefore any error of contents or presentation is a responsibility exclusive to the authors.

Tòfol Tobal