GUNUNG · Réunion (Prancis)

Piton des Neiges

Piton des Neiges ("Puncak Salju")

Information

Elevation: 3.069 m
Country: Réunion (Prancis) (RE)
Location / Range: Massif du Piton des Neiges, Pulau Réunion (Kepulauan Mascarene), Samudra Hindia barat daya
Mountain type: Gunung berapi kompleks (perisai) yang sudah punah & tererosi dalam — puncak tertinggi Samudra Hindia
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: -21.0989, 55.4789
Difficulty: Menantang — pendakian panjang dengan tanjakan curam (±1.700 m gain dari Cilaos) lewat banyak anak tangga batu; umumnya bermalam di gîte lalu summit dini hari
Best Season: Mei–November (musim kemarau, lebih kering & cerah). Hindari musim hujan/siklon Desember–Maret. Berangkat dini hari untuk matahari terbit di atas lautan awan
Permits & Rules: Tidak perlu izin khusus; akses bebas lewat jalur GR R1/R2. Menginap di Gîte de la Caverne Dufour wajib reservasi
Hazards: Suhu mendekati beku di puncak (kadang turun salju), angin & paparan terbuka, kabut/awan tebal, jalur batu licin saat gelap, dan kelelahan akibat tanjakan panjang

Description

Piton des Neiges (literally "Snow Peak") is the highest point of Réunion, a French overseas department in the south-western Indian Ocean about 800 km east of Madagascar. At roughly 3,069 m it is regarded as the highest point in the entire Indian Ocean. It is the summit of a complex shield volcano that is now extinct — inactive for more than 12,000 years — and so deeply eroded that it is ringed by three vast crater valleys (cirques): Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate, which define the island's dramatic landscape. Its massif covers about three-fifths of Réunion. Climbing to the top is one of the island's signature hikes: the most popular track starts from Cilaos and climbs steeply through forest and volcanic rock to the Gîte de la Caverne Dufour mountain hut, where most walkers sleep before making a pre-dawn push to catch sunrise above a sea of clouds. Snow occasionally dusts the summit in the austral winter — the source of its name.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Via Cilaos – Gîte de la Caverne Dufour (jalur terpopuler)

Menantang (tanjakan ±1.736 m, banyak anak tangga batu)

14.30 km +1736 m ~8,5 jam mendaki; umumnya dibagi 2 hari dengan bermalam di gîte

The most popular track starts in the Cirque de Cilaos and climbs steeply about 1,736 m to the staffed Gîte de la Caverne Dufour, roughly an hour's walk below the summit. Although doable in a single day, most hikers sleep at the hut and make a pre-dawn push for sunrise. Wikipedia gives the route as about 8.9 miles, averaging 8.5 hours.

Source

Via Cirque de Salazie (Hell-Bourg)

Menantang

1–2 hari (bertemu jalur Cilaos di gîte)

A track from the Cirque de Salazie (near Hell-Bourg) that joins the Cilaos route at the Gîte de la Caverne Dufour about an hour below the summit. A classic alternative approaching the peak from the island's northern side.

Source

Via Plaine des Cafres (Bourg-Murat)

Panjang & menantang

31.50 km +1430 m Jauh lebih panjang dari jalur Cilaos

The longest approach, starting from la Plaine des Cafres (Bourg-Murat). Wikipedia records it at about 19.6 miles with a similar elevation gain (~1,430 m). Suited to hikers wanting a longer, quieter route.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Experiences on Piton des Neiges almost always centre on the pre-dawn climb from Cilaos: the long ascent to the Gîte de la Caverne Dufour, a short sleep, then a head-torch push in the dark to reach the summit for sunrise above a sea of clouds. The sources below combine first-person French- and English-language vlogs with written trip reports (with maps and GPS profiles) capturing the hut logistics, the brutal climb, the cold summit, a comparison of the three routes and the panorama over the three cirques.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.