Ice Climbing in Cogne

For learning to ice climb, or for guided ice climbing, Cogne, in the Italian Gran Paradiso National Park, is fantastic. There are great routes, friendly people and the coffee is wonderful!

The village sits at the junction of 2 valleys on the edge of the National Park. It's about 90 mins drive from Chamonix and about 2 hours from Turin. It's an ideal place to go for 4-5 days of hotel-based ice climbing, or even as a 1 or 2 day trip from Chamonix.

The best thing is that it has hundreds of ice climbs of all grades from beginner to expert, and has very little sun, so stays cold and also is at 2000m altitude so has a longer climbable ice season than many places.

Kerry Ratcliffe enjoying the 3rd pitch of the Cascadde de Lillaz, Cogne

Typical 7 day ice-climbing itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Cogne in the evening, check in to the hotel.

Day 2. Warm up day. Breakfast at 7.30 am. Find some ice and do some top roping and work on technique, sort out equipment. Then do a multi pitch ice route – maybe 3-4 pitches at Scottish grade 3-4, and abseil down. Maybe squeeze in a final pitch at the end of the day.

Day 3. Brek 7.30. Let’s go and climb a classic Cogne route. Maybe Cascade de Lillaz (3), about 6-7 pitches of Scottish 3-4, lots of 70 degree ice, a few steeper sections. 5 minutes approach, 20 minute walk down from the top!

Day 4. How about something harder? Patri Left Hand, grade 4. 6 pitches of perfect water ice. 40 minute walk in, down a fantastic valley at the foot of the Gran Paradiso. Back at the hotel for G&T by 6pm!

Day 5. Another Cogne classic – Lillaz Gully. Grade 4. (Scottish 4-5). Like Point Five Gully without all the snow slopes at the top! 1 hour walk in, 30 minutes down from the top.

Day 6. Last day – better do something mega. What about Monday Money(4+) – Scottish 5, 3-4 pitches. Amazing hanging icicle in a superb position, right next to one of the hard classics of Cogne, Repentance Super (6) – get inspired!!

Day 7 Fly home – book a week for the next year!!