A climber on a blue frozen waterfall

Valnontey, AostaWinter

Ice falls of Cogne

GradeWI4

Days2

Highest point2 100 m

Price980 EUR

At a glance

Two days on the frozen waterfalls of Valnontey, from your first swing to a full pitch of blue ice.

Cogne is the ice climbing valley of the Alps: dozens of frozen falls a short walk from the road, facing every way the sun goes. Day one is all technique on short falls: footwork, placing screws, trusting the picks. Day two we pick a longer line together, two to four pitches, and you lead the easy ones if you want to.

Season
December to March
Rope
1 guide, 2 climbers
Grade
WI4
Price
from 980 EUR per person

The line

Altitude along the route, from the first step to the last. The dots are the places we stop.

  1. 1 534 mValnontey
  2. 1 850 mLillaz falls
  3. 2 100 mTop of the fall
  4. 1 534 mValnontey
  1. Valnontey1 534 m
  2. Lillaz falls1 850 m
  3. Top of the fall2 100 m
  4. Valnontey1 534 m

Day by day

The plan we start from. The weather and your pace decide the rest.

  1. Day 1

    Learning the ice

    Short falls by the river: kicking, swinging, standing on two points, abseils on ice threads.

    +300 m

  2. Day 2

    A long fall

    A multi pitch line picked for the day's ice, two to four pitches, and the walk down through the larches.

    +560 m

A climber kicking steps up a steep ice slope
Blue ice inside a glacier cave

Before you come

  • No ice climbing needed
  • Good with cold hands
  • Some climbing indoors helps

Included

  • Your guide for two days
  • Ice axes, screws and ropes
  • Plan for the day's conditions
  • Coffee in the village, always

You bring

  • Stiff boots for crampons
  • Harness and helmet (we can lend)
  • Two pairs of thin gloves, one warm
  • A flask of something hot

Ask for this route

Tell us your dates and what you have climbed. A guide answers within two days.

Ask for a date