GMG winter outing at the Illa shelter

Last January 27 and 28 we went up to the refuge of the Island, in Andorra, located at 2,488m. Since its remodeling in 2016, it is a very well designed shelter, and an example of adaptation to a very rigorous environment. Constructed of wood and finished with zinc, its construction is linked to a low carbon footprint. It is very energy efficient and despite its size, it works with a single biomass stove. It has ventilation with enthalpic heat recovery, photovoltaic energy, storage batteries and water saving measures such as an ACS timer in the shower, which shows us that with a minute of hot water flow is more than enough to in our daily personal hygiene. We climbed it from Les Escaldes following the path that runs through the Madriu valley, with a total of 13km and about 1,000m of positive gradient. It took us 6 hours to reach the refuge, slowly opening a trail with snowshoes on abundant powder snow. Once we arrived at the refuge, a shower, a good dinner and a well-deserved rest allowed us to recover our strength to face the descent. A severe winter weather forecast awaited us, with a minimum temperature of -19ºC and strong wind. But the next day, luck played in our favor and the temperature did not drop below -10ºC, although the strong north wind accompanied us until we reached the forest again. Arriving back in Les Escaldes, we celebrated that everything had gone well with a good lunch. We will continue to climb mountains!