Passion knows no age. At 18, Maël le Lagadec is a young landscape artisan passionate about plants and nature, which led him to surpass himself toward another summit: mountaineering. For his first complete ascent of Pico d'Aneto, he was not alone. He was carrying an entirely wooden cross weighing 35 kg to replace the one that had been stolen in April.
Maël, during the ascent carrying the 35 kg wooden cross on his back. • © Maël le Lagadec
The "somewhat crazy" project to rebuild it
It is the roof of the Pyrenees and it fell victim to a major theft. A cross had stood at 3400 meters altitude, on Pico d'Aneto since 1951. This emblem of mountaineering was stolen in mid-April this year.
"A few weeks ago we discovered that the Aneto cross had disappeared. With a friend we launched ourselves into the somewhat crazy project of rebuilding it." The young man then posted his intention on social networks: to return a cross to the Pyrenees. "On April 11, three days before this announcement, we had tried to climb Aneto. The weather had deteriorated and we turned back."
Maël talks about it with his friend Julien who works in electrical maintenance. First challenge: finding the wood to create the object. It turns out that in 2022, his brother had cut down a walnut tree to make a table or furniture. Heading to Montbeton in Tarn-et-Garonne. The wood is beautiful, with lovely grain, a fine piece allowing the cross to be made from a single block. One meter ten in height, over 70 cm wide, 11 cm thick.
Only problem: walnut is not very resistant to weathering. So a marine varnish would be needed to protect it. "I am a landscape artisan but I wanted to create this cross with my own hands and hoist it to the summit."
4 fleur-de-lis
The young landscape artisan will create everything and posts the project's progress on social networks. By early May, the work takes shape. It required drawing the cross, carving it from a single block, sanding and sculpting it. The old stolen cross was made of metal, cut with a grinder. "I think it was cut up and thrown down the west face of the mountain. It is covered by snow and will likely be found when the snow melts".
Maël himself creates the personal touch: 4 fleur-de-lis at the 4 points of the cross. "They were not on the other cross that was stolen. The fleur-de-lis is a strong symbol of royalty, of loyalty to France and Spain. I did the detailing, the soldering iron drawing and then I sculpted it with a Dremel. The 4 flowers are connected by a groove. The cross is a mountain symbol. It's like a lighthouse in the middle of the sea. It shows success, the summit."
Within days, the work is finished, varnished and ready to go. Last weekend with a public holiday, the moment seemed just right. The weather forecast is good. With his friend Julien, they park at the hospital parking lot, at the very bottom of Pico d'Aneto's summit.
Snow and fog at the summit
Usually, the ascent of Aneto takes 2 days but here, they need to move fast. The two friends set out on the night of Friday, May 8 to Saturday, at midnight. They carry the cross (35 kg) and the bag with the necessary equipment to install it (15 kg). The effort is intense and it is the first time Maël has made this ascent. A few meters from the summit, Julien is not feeling well. He will have to continue alone. He remains at the "Pas de Mahomet". There are four meters left but these are the hardest.
In the mountains, the weather changes very quickly and the peak is no longer visible. Thick fog has shrouded the mountain. Maël is exhausted from climbing the mountain so quickly. "The shelter was full. We had no choice."
video duration: 00h00mn14s
Maël le Lagadec, 18, during the ascent of Pico d'Aneto in the Pyrenees. • ©Maël le Lagadec
2:40 PM, finally the objective is reached. "I reach the very top. After so much effort, I kneel and I weep. The effort was very intense. I still cannot believe it. It is the pride of having succeeded."
Maël is not a seasoned alpinist. It was only last September that he sought to clear his mind. Running, cycling, he dedicates himself to sport. He then comes across a video of Lac d'Oô (Loudenvielle Hautes-Pyrénées) published on social networks. "It was in October 2025. With a friend, we decide the very next day to go there. It is my first ascent, it is very hard. But I fell in love with mountaineering. It is an opportunity to escape and make beautiful encounters".
Fixing things
Then there was Aneto in April 2026 without going all the way to the summit. This time, it is the right one. He is the last to arrive at the summit but he meets other alpinists. "There are about fifty of them who passed before me. They opened the way for me. Many Spanish and French. They gave me information about the ongoing investigation and advised me not to install the new cross in the same place as the old one so that the search advances. "
Left side, facing the summit, four meters from the statue of the Virgin Mary, it will be there. "I arrive at the very top, after so much effort, I kneel and I weep. I oriented it facing the "Pas de Mahomet". There is a lot of snow and ice that I had to break with my ice axe. We had to hurry so as not to come down too late."
video duration: 00h00mn09s
Pico d'Aneto is the roof of the Pyrenees, its ascent remains a challenge. • ©Maël le Lagadec
Maël makes a hole as best he can to slide the cross into it. At the very bottom, he puts pitons, tensioners, cables that will serve for the final fixing when the snow has melted. "It will be fixed like the old one, by bracing, with 4 braided wires to attach it."
Around 3 PM, it is time to descend, praying very hard that no one commits another act of vandalism. "I call on people to respect the monuments present. They are part of the history of mountaineering and of both countries. I wanted to show a strong symbol so that people stop degrading this heritage"
On the way down, the fog is still there, with enormous fatigue as well. A motorist gives them a ride back to the parking lot, saving them an extra hour of hiking. At the end of their strength, they are too exhausted to leave and sleep on site.
On social networks, the feat goes viral. Over 875,000 views for one of his videos. "I am proud to have succeeded in finalizing this project. I am pleased that hikers can again enjoy the cross. Many people reacted and sent me messages. They all touched me and many moved me deeply. The next day, I went to see my grandmother who is very devout. She cried a lot, proud of me that I was able to accomplish this".
