The routes

The Ollomont valley with its mixed climbs is a true paradise; away from the more famous crowded areas, below Mont Vela and Grand Combin are a flurry of icefalls immersed in absolute tranquility. Albice ascends to the left of Pat...

Pleasant and short icefall which varies from a slab start to a free standing finish.

This was the first ice fall in Gressoney ascended by Alessandro Jaccod, the father of piolet-traction in Valle d'Aosta. Once you've reached the path it's well worth spending 10 minutes visiting the old village from which the icefall gets its...

Beautiful mid grade ice climb which is never steeper than 90°. The cave on the second pitch is highly evocative.

Beautiful and slender free-standing drip first ascended after the first repeat of “Cohésion zero”. If the drip is too precarious, it is possible to protect the start using the plants on the side.

Nice sunny climb, not to be missed. Carefully assess the period and stability if the ice. The final belay is difficult to find, search for it beneath a small overhang on the left. This is a 5 star icefall... or...

Given the right conditions, the route is a very varied and fun outing that provides committing but never extremely dangerous climbing. The ambient feels like it’s on a big mountain face, despite it’s modest height.  Since there’s no phone coverage...

The first 30m are great, but then the climbing becomes slightly less interesting. An excellent end-of-the-day climb.

The first clean step is followed by an extremely aesthetic though somewhat short free standing drip on the second pitch.

The wild and beautiful Valle delle Laures, located within the mountain comunity Monte Emilius, was one of the first areas to be developed by ice climbers, and the first icefalls date back to the early 1980's. The icefalls are...

Candelone di Patry is certainly a more beautiful finish than Patry Classica, but somewhat more serious. The great 50m pitch is a fantastic combination to the first part of Patry up into the amphitheatre.

Pleasant ice climb to the right of the via ferrata that leads to the Monzino hut in Val Veny on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Repeats will require a period of intense cold and no snow above the drip...

Pleasant icefall, free of objective dangers and, thanks to its easy access, ideal for those with little time. To finish off the day, climb some pitches in the gully below.

Nice 180m icefall famous for the evocative amphitheatre it climbs through up its last pitch. This also happens to be perhaps the most interesting pitch of the entire route...

Extremely beautiful icefall, climbed without bolts or pegs. The dry tooling section can be protected well with friends and nuts. Once again the Cogne valley has provided amazing new excitement.

Nice line first ascended in 1983 by the forerunner of ice climbing Alessandro Jaccod. Beware of avalanche danger after heavy snowfall.