The launch of the Pyrenees Hiking Festivals (FSP) in El Pont de Suert, in Alta Ribagorça, has marked the beginning of an edition focused on the climate crisis. Throughout ten festivals, taking place from May to October in eight Pyrenean regions, activities designed to raise awareness about the impact of climate change will be offered.
Highlighted proposals include talks with experts, testimonies illustrating climate changes in mountain areas, hikes through landscapes once shaped by now-disappeared glaciers, and visits to monumental trees that have withstood the test of time. These activities aim to highlight the vulnerability of mountainous regions to global warming.
Mountain areas are among the most sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Furthermore, this change is accelerating faster than anticipated: the first quarter of the 21st century has seen a temperature increase of between 2.1 and 2.2 degrees in Alt Pirineu and Aran, according to data from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya, doubling initial forecasts.
Data from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya reveals a temperature increase of between 2.1 and 2.2 degrees in Alt Pirineu and Aran during the first quarter of the 21st century, a figure that doubles initial forecasts. This acceleration has visible consequences, such as the disappearance of glaciers and alterations in flora and fauna. The Pyrenees thus become a showcase to highlight this global threat.
The FSP promote local, healthy, and environmentally respectful tourism, avoiding months of high tourist influx. Walking routes are conducted in small groups with local interpretive guides. The festivals, lasting two to four days, also include gastronomic, cultural, and astronomical activities, offering an opportunity to discover the most authentic side of the Pyrenees.
The edition will kick off on the weekend of May 15-17 with Lo Festival de Senderisme de la Conca Dellfi and the Garrotxa Volcanic Walking. Other notable events include CAMIN_art (May 22-24), Cerdanya Happy Walking (June 5-6), and the Festival Camina Pirineus-Alt Urgell (June 12-14). The first series of festivals will conclude with the Festival de Senderisme Vall Fosca-Pirineus (July 9-12).
After a break in August, the autumn season of the FSP will resume with the Alt Empordfi Sea Walking (September 24-27), followed by the Ripollès Discovery Walking (October 2-4), the Vall de Boí Trek Festival (October 10-12), and the Senderi-Festival de Senderisme de Sort, la Vall d’Àssua i el Batlliu (October 16-18).
This initiative is coordinated by the Institut per al Desenvolupament i la Promoció de l’Alt Pirineu i Aran (IDAPA), through the Taula de Camins de l’Alt Pirineu i Aran. The IDAPA is supported by the Marca Turística Pirineus, the Patronat de Turisme Ara Lleida, and the Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona, ensuring that events meet common criteria defined with the organizing entities.
