The Piton des Neiges is an extinct volcano and is located in the center of the island Reunion. With a height of 3,070.5 meters, it is the highest point on the island and also the highest peak in the Indian Ocean. Established in 2007 as part of the "Inner Zone" Reunion National Park the mountain belongs to UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Regions
The three crater basins also become the piton des neiges 1 Cirque de Mafate, 2 Cirque de Cilaos and the 3 Cirque de Salazie counted, the mountain takes up three fifths of the island's surface.
places
Valley locations are around the mountain 1 Cilaos in the Cirque de Cilaos and 2 Hell-Bourg in the Cirque de Salazie.
background
1 Piton des Neiges means snow peak, but snow is the rare exception at the summit and only occurs every few years, the last time in 2007. Occasionally, white frost occurs at the summit.
Geologically the Piton des Neiges is a huge shield volcano. It owes its creation to that Hotspot volcanism similar to that of the island Hawaii. Characteristic for this type of volcanism is deep and stationary thin-flowing lava rising from the earth, which then first cuts a hole in the earth's mantle like a welding torch from below and then creates a volcano from the sea floor. Since the earth's mantle moves over the hotspot due to the continental drift, a chain of volcanoes in a row is created, the foremost of which is active. The Reunion hotspot, which is also responsible for the creation of Mauritius, Rodriguez, the Seychelles, Maldives and a number of other submarine volcanoes are blamed, has created a long basal ridge (hotspot swell) that extends as far as India and in the Himalayas is enough, its age is dated to at least 68 million years.
The rise of the Piton des Neiges volcano from the sea floor, and with it the birth of the island of Réunion, is estimated to have been around two to three million years ago, with the end of the volcanic activity of the Piton des Neiges around 12,000 years ago. Measured from the sea floor, the volcano has reached a height of approx. 7000 m. The island's active volcano is now the one to the southwest Piton de la Fournaise (2631 m).
The emergence of the relief of the three crater basins over 1000 meters high Cirque de Mafate (northwest), Cirque de Cilaos (south) and Cirque de Salazie (north) which are arranged immediately around the Piton des Neiges, is discussed in two theories:
- The first theory assumes that the volcanic vents collapsed after the magma chambers had been emptied in one of the last active phases of the volcano, according to which each of the three cirques is a caldera. The collapse of a caldera with a diameter of 11 km and a height offset of at least 150 m can be proven at the neighboring Piton de la Fournaise.
- More recent research sees the relief of the three cirques as the product of an "erosive slope development" as a result of the special circumstances in Réunion with high levels of precipitation on the steep slopes and a special chemistry due to acid entry of the tropical vegetation into the rock. Characteristic of this erosion are the deeply cut gullies and "slope gullies". This theory was also developed using the example of Hawaii, and it is likely a mixture of the two mechanisms of origin.
Today's summit of the Piton des Neiges is not in the middle of the overall formation of the volcanic mountain and the three cirques: The interpolation of the slope results in a height of the former summit of at least approx. 4000 to 4300 m above sea level, i.e. a former total height of the mountain of clear measured over 8000 meters from the sea floor.
The Piton dss Neiges is located in the "inner zone" of the one founded in 2007 Reunion National Park and with this zone it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ascent
 CIVIS stop |  first stage in the high forest; |
The Normal way from the valley town Cilaos (1,201 m) to the summit (3 071 m) has the character of a mountain hike without any particular technical difficulties: the use of hands is not necessary anywhere and there are no particularly exposed passages / passages that are at risk of falling. The route over approx. 1,800 meters of altitude corresponds in its requirements to a somewhat more demanding alpine hut climb and is normally covered in two daily stages:
- The first stage of the day begins with the entry into the normal route at the bus stop "Le Bloc" (parking lot) northwest of Cilaos, this can be reached via the city bus (CIVIS), line to Bras Sec. From then on, the ascent is quite steep and shady, initially through the vegetation of the damp forest and high-altitude forest and always with a view of Cilaos to the northwest. The path, which is variously paved with sticks, then reaches the vegetation zone of the mountain heaths from a height of about 2000 m, before reaching the accommodation after crossing a saddle at the edge of the crater 1 (Mountain hut Caverne Dufour) is reached at 2478 m. Running time, depending on your condition and your speed, around four to five hours or even faster. About halfway there is a tap for drinking water at two somewhat neglected shelters.
- The second day's stage is the ascent to the summit, it usually starts early the next morning in the dark (headlamp!) and then, depending on your personal condition, after about two hours of climbing from the hut, the sunrise at the summit at about six o'clock, and then usually with to be able to experience many other summiteers from the hut. The chances of a cloudless sky are highest in the morning. The second day's stage is actually a bit flatter than the section of the previous day, but the path now leads over basalt blocks and is much more impassable, on the rocky route a real climb is sometimes necessary. Only the uppermost part of the route leads through almost vegetation-free area, but here it is somewhat more pleasant on volcanic ash.
A variant of the ascent is the hut ascent from the north-east Hell-Bourg in the Cirque de Salazie : The ascent to the hut is much longer, but Hell-Bourg is easier to reach from the north than Cilaos.
Of particular note are the circumstances of the weather: rain and fog clouds are very likely all year round from the afternoon at the latest, the result is then a greasy stretch of road and also dangerously smooth basalt stones. The second day's stage of the summit path from the hut runs in a zone with little vegetation, the rainwater runs off here in the vegetation-free and soil-free ascent path like in a small stream in a stone bed and depending on the amount of water, you have to climb against the watercourse. The part of the route from the hut can be in fog with often very short visibility for those inexperienced in this regard orientation a problem: there are white color markings on the stones at a very short distance (a few meters), but they are not always easy to see in diffuse visibility conditions. However, in the mountain heather zone, the uphill path, free of vegetation and soil, can be clearly identified and in the last and almost vegetation-free part below the summit, the route can be seen through the uphill tracks, it logically leads uphill with a few bends towards the northwest, the very last part of the route leads on one small pre-summit with broadcast installations, swings significantly to the southwest and then after a few more meters reaches the summit. The same applies, of course, to the descent.
The weather is also responsible for the choice of dress Please note: In addition to waterproof and windproof outer clothing (XXX-tex) and rainproof footwear, you should also bring sufficiently dry underwear including socks: The drying options in the hut, which is always well occupied, are limited. Because of the possible light frost at night, a sweater should also be in the backpack.
Tourist Attractions
The landscape and nature are worth seeing:
When the weather is nice, that's enough View from the summit all around the whole island, the coastal towns and further into the Indian Ocean. Also the active volcano Piton de la Fournaise is clearly recognizable. Very often, however, fog and clouds are an obstacle to visibility. The deep view leads into the Cirque de Cilaos and in the Cirque de Salazie (from the pre-summit).
Along the route in the high forest there is the tropical plant community with its numerous epiphytes (tree riders), tree ferns and beard lichens and also some types of orchid, but these plants are not as spectacularly large as in the home gardening, but want to be searched for.
Special individual sights are not to be listed.
Kitchen and accommodation
The only base when climbing the summit is the gîte (mountain hut) La Caverne Dufour at an altitude of 2478 m: The managed hut has a large lounge, a large dining room and several bedrooms with comparatively generous sleeping spaces, but is usually well occupied. Dinner is uniform, is cooked creole.
The sanitary facilities (showers, toilets) are simple but available. However, restrictions must be expected in the dry main season.
Prior reservation is mandatory in the Réunions mountain huts. This can be in Saint-Denis (also via the Internet) and in Cilaos:
- Maison de la Montagne (Reservation office for the mountain huts), 5 rue Rontaunay, 97400 St Denis. Tel.: 262 (0)262 90 78 78, Fax: 262 (0)262 41 84 29.
- Maison de la Montagne (Reservation office for the mountain huts), 2, rue Mac Auliffe 97413 Cilaos. Tel.: 262 (0)262 31 71 71, Fax: 262 (0)262 31 80 54. Open: Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
During the main travel times, reservations are required several weeks or months in advance.
Climate and Weather
| Brief information | |
| Phone code | 262 and the last 9 place digits |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC 4 |
| Emergency cell phone | 112 |
| Ambulance | (0)262 20 20 33 |
| Cyclone warning | (0) 897 65 01 01 |
For general information on the island climate, see the article on Reunion.
The best season for an ascent of the Piton de Neiges is the Winter on Reunion, those are the months from May to October with more moderate temperatures and less rainfall. The mornings usually start out sunny, but by noon at the latest it draws in from the east coast. The mountains in the interior of the island are often covered in fog in the afternoon and it rains until the evening. It often clears up again during the night.
Light frost and the formation of frost in the early morning occasionally occur in a damp climate, but the first rays of sunshine then quickly melt the frost. The frost line can drop to approx. 1500 m in the temperate season.
If you want to climb in the humid season, you should definitely pay attention to the weather reports and severe weather warnings / cyclones.
literature
- Geographical University of Heidelberg (Ed.): Île de la Réunion (pdf). 2006, Final report on the big excursion; 149 pages; PDF (German). Current and comprehensive information on the history, geology, geography, volcanism, population and culture of the island.
- : Reunion Island France's hiking paradise in the Indian Ocean. Munich: Bergverlag Rother, 2008 (2nd edition), ISBN 978-3-7633-4278-5 ; 176 pages. € 14.90
cards
- Geographic National Institute (Ed.): ST-DENIS, CIRQUES DE MAFATE et de SALAZIE 1:25 000 (for hikers); Vol.4402 RT. Paris, Carte de Randonee topographique Top 25 (in French).
- Geographic National Institute (Ed.): SAINT-PIERRE 1:25 000 (for hikers); Vol.4405 RT. Paris, Carte de Randonee topographique Top 25 (in French).
- Both maps contain the rise and cilaos at the edge of the sheet, but completely.
Web links
- Official tourism site for all of Réunion: www.reunion.fr
