The passion for the mountains does not understand nationalities, borders or sporting results. While Spain and France were preparing to face each other in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Championships, the young French mountaineer Maël Le Lagadec faced a very different challenge in the Pyrenees: to travel dozens of kilometres to return a cross to the top of the Aneto.
It is the second time in just two months that the 18-year-old has carried a cross to the 3,404 meters of the roof of the Pyrenees. After the first ascent made in May, Le Lagadec returned to the summit on Monday, July 13, accompanied by his friend Nathan and with a new wooden structure after the previous one had been vandalized.
«They thought I was joking when I said, ‘I’ll go back up as many times as it takes to reinstate it; I can make them suffer,» said the mountaineer on his Instagram account. For this new expedition, Le Lagadec has chosen an even more demanding route. The ascent began at the Hospice de France, on the French side, and lasted for 39 kilometres, with about 4,000 metres of positive elevation gain.
The Frenchman has also hoped that the symbol will remain in its new location. «I hope that this cross will be respected; otherwise, I will have to continue the expeditions on the Aneto«, he warned. In addition, he thanked the numerous messages of support he has received since his first initiative.
During the ascent, the two young men have coincided with several mountaineers who have witnessed and recorded part of the expedition. «So that you can see that there is still hope in the world. They threw the first cross down and they are going to raise the second cross,» said one of them as he watched how they advanced with the structure.
THE FIRST CROSS TO CLIMB TO THE ROOF OF THE PYRENEES
Maël Le Lagadec’s story with Aneto began last May. After learning of the disappearance of the historic cross that crowned the mountain since 1951, the young Frenchman built a new walnut wood structure and decided to personally transport it to the top.
The cross weighed around 35 kilos and was carried on shoulders during a demanding ascent to 3,404 meters. The gesture had an important impact among mountain fans on both sides of the border and made the Frenchman one of the protagonists of the open debate around the presence of this symbol in the Aneto.
However, just a few weeks later, the cross was torn off and thrown down the hillside. Two mountaineers who were ascending the Estasen corridor managed to locate it on the Llosas ridge and several mountaineers collaborated to take it back to the summit and fix it on the rock.
The structure subsequently disappeared again, prompting Le Lagadec to announce that it would return as many times as necessary. For its part, the old metal cross of the Aneto was located in June by specialists from the Greim of the Civil Guard during a rescue operation. It was half-buried in the snow on a slope of the north face and was transferred by helicopter to Benasque to study its repair and possible replacement.
The controversy is still open, but Le Lagadec has already made his position clear. After covering nearly 40 kilometres, overcoming 4,000 metres of elevation gain and reaching the top of the Pyrenees again, the young Frenchman warns that this second ascent may not be his last.
