 It has an altitude of 2,529 metres and although it is by no means the highest peak of the Cantabrian mountain range, it can be considered the best-known summit in the world of Spanish mountaineering, especially the 550m high vertical wall of the west face.At its foot lies Vega Urriellu, a glacial valley from the quaternary period.The mountain was first scaled from the north face (by the route now known as the Vía Pidal) on 5 August 1904 by Pedro Pidal y Bernaldo de Quirós, marqués de Villaviciosa de Asturias, accompanied by the shepherd Gregorio Perez, called "El Cainejo" from his place of birth, Caín in León.