Just back from North Finland. You'll probably find a lot of snow when you hit the high ground. I wasn't here but this weekend just gone it snowed down to 800m (ie in the village). It's gone of course but there is still snow down to 1600m and an awful lot on the cols. The snow was very wet so conditions could be tricky and avalanche risks in some areas. It's getting warmer but based on previous years (unless there is a real heatwave) there will be a lot of snow around until mid July. Regarding maps you should be able to pick them up in the villages closer to the areas required. Even an older map 24 will be grand as the topography and tracks haven't changed much, it is just that more of the existing paths are marked. You could try Editorial Alpina for the missing bit.
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 Hi Jerry, I've had a look. I'd been confusing myself thinking the HRP included a lot on the Spanish side around there - it doesn't does it, it's almost entirely on the French side? Before the current Randonee Pyrenees series, the IGN had an earlier Randonee series that concentrated on the French side of the border. I've got some of these and two sheets, Bearn and Bigorre traverse much the same French stretch as the current sheet 24. I'd better warn you that these are quite old - I bought them in the late '80s for my first trip out there, but I imagine the mountains are largely the same and I'm pretty sure the main line of the HRP route hasn't changed, but you'd be able to check that against the guide book. Anyway, I'd be happy to lend them, so let me know if you think they might be any use.
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The HRP is more of an idea than a path. Whilst people might be happy to follow Tom Joosten's suggestions, actually the way you go is up to you - the further south you go, the less wetter it is and the warmer it gets. Are you aware of the Spanish aemet.es weather service? It does mountain forecasts. http://www.aemet.es/es/eltiempo/prediccion/montana If you don't read Spanish, you might need to paste the results it into a translator. Key words - aludes are avalanches. It also gives temperatures and wind chill figures Today it is giving 3300 as the 0 degree isotherm at 13h in the Catalan Pyrenees. Here's the predicted figures for Montardo: MONTARDO (2833 M.) -2 (-5) 11 (11) The bracketed figures are the temp you'd feel rather than the actual. In the meantime I envy anyone heading this way over the summer.
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My local shop in Cauterets has map 24 and it is not needed until then so at the limit it can be purchased just before the Gavrnie stretch
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 Well, I have ordered 1 2 and 3, and I will settle for those I think to get me going, and scavenge for more as and when I'm there. Thank you very much though Matt for the kind offer. Today's gripe is the weight of the guidebooks.. the Joosten guide, pocket sized though it may be, weighs a solid 500g and the Rough Guide weighs 700g! At least Veron had the decency to make his guide properly portable. I might attack the rough guide with a razor and take the pages I think might be useful. Anyone care to make me panic? Eg suggest something important I've forgotten? 
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I, too, am heading along the HRP at the end of June. Does anybody know about outdoor shops in Biarritz or Hendaye where I can pick up the first few maps and some last minute supplies to avoid hitting weight limits with Rianair.
Another point. Has anyone any experience of buying Esbit type fuel and specialist lightweight food (travellunch etc.) along the route? I could manage a bounce box but I would rather avoid the hassle if possible.
In answer to jerryW, what I've done before now is photocopy the relevant pages. I'm not sure about the legality but it feels OK to me if you own the book and throw the sheets away (or burn them - spare fuel) when you're done.
Many thanks, in advance! See you on the tops!
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Why not just tear out and carry the pages you want and buy another copy for the bookshelf. Far easier and with the price of printer ink, probably not much more expensive. Same with the maps, buy at home and cut out the route plus a couple of miles either side. The GR11 has such an accompanying set of 'corridor maps' and they are ample. I could not find any outdoor shops in Hendaye, however I did manage to pick up camping gaz( screw type) on one of the campsites. I don't do it often but I would like to thank Ryanair for their weight limit. If I exceed it then I know I am carrying to much and reject action is required.
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I've been to Hendaye a few times and the only outdoor shops I've seen are for surfers. I think the nearest outdoor shop is Decathlon in Anglet which is a half an hour bus ride from Biarritz airport. They should stock coleman or msr gas as I know the Toulouse outlet has it. From my experience lightweight food is not always available (although the outdoor shop next to my hotel in Cauteret does - but then again he's a sherpa) most of the french stay in or camp next to refuges and eat there to be sure of a 4 course meal.
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 im heading off to the Pyrenees on saturday does anyone know what conditions are like under foot? i was planning to follow the hrp but i gota a feeling its going to snowed under. the temps are well down for the time of year. Garvarnie showing 8c during the day! theres been alot of rain for the time of year , infact the most since records began so im assuming that with the low temps up high that means fresh snow.. are there any websites that give such information? ta
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There has been virtually constant rain for the last 2 weeks and the last 2 nights there was fresh snow at 1800m - 2000m depending on the area. Some of it is melting though.
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thanks for that philip and maquis. im taking microspikes now , i think full on crampons will be overkill as its just col crossing. i was there 4 yrs ago and there was nothing. cant wait!
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Hi folks! I am heading for my second leg at Pyreness (from Heas near Gavernie to Alos Isil) in the beginning of september. Any idea of the current snow conditions? I would not want to carry crampons or an ice ax. I am also a bit worried about the Molieres, which seems to be the whole routes crux. Should I get cold feet, is there any alternative other than the one which means going back and taking the three days variant. I now some have gone via Salenques valley and the Rando Edition maps an the map in Joostens book indicate that such does exist. Any advice for desending the Molieres?
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Molieres meaning of course Col de Mulleres;)
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Me too koppelo though earlier than you. My plan is to finish at Salardu and then walk/bus back to Vielha, to get a bus connection back to Lourdes. But I can't find any travel information for Vielha. Any ideas? Anyone?
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 Hi guys, Finished the HRP last Thursday. Mulleres isn't too bad - there's no snow on the steep descent on the east side, though there's a lot just beneath it (where it's less steep) and on the ascent. We sat on the col having our lunch and watched a few people coming up without too much difficulty, including one group with a dog(!) so watched the various routes they took. Veron's book definitely over-emphasises the danger - no-body was using a rope when we were there. I don't think you'd get cold feet to be honest - don't know much about alternatives if you did though. There's a photo here from the Tuc de Mulleres - the bit mentioned in the guidebook is the short rock section between the col and the snow: http://sedgely.com/hrp/half-way-storm/Héas to Alos de Isil is a fantastic section, and I would have thought there'd still be quite a bit of snow. We hit that part duing the first two weeks of July and were told that the snow levels were what they'd expect for the beginning of June. We saw people without crampons but there are places (like Col des Gourgs-Blancs for example) that would be pretty precarious without. There are some photos of that day on this blog post: http://sedgely.com/hrp/beaucoup-de-vent/The buses are great - Salardu to Arties (campsite) is about 5 minutes, and Arties to Vielha is probably another 15. I can't remember the frequency but about once an hour. When you get to Salardu, turn left and head down the main road and you'll find the bus stop on the right as you leave the village. Hitching is dead easy too - we got a lift from Vielha back to Arties very quickly. Have a fantastic trip! Jon.
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Thanks for the info Jon. And great pictures! I presume most of the snow you encountered has melted by now. Which part is in your opinion the most demanding technically?
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Thanks koppelo!
I'd say the most technical bits are probably Joosten's four extreme days: the descent from Lavédan on day 13, the descent from Gourgs-Blancs on day 21, the descent from Literole on day 22 and the descent from Mulleres on day 23. I wouldn't be put off by any of them though - none of them are as daunting when you get there as they sounds in the books!
As for refuges, I never reserved. I hadn't planned on using many but the weather was worse than I'd expected so I ended up in refuges roughly a third of the time. The only place I had a problem was Refuge des Cortalets, just down from Canigou, but they put me in a little overflow room and only charged me €6 so that worked out well!
Those maps look pretty cool. I've been using Google Earth, which is pretty amazing too - it looks amazingly realistic.
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