Aosta valley - recommendations around AD/D

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 Gwinn512 12 Aug 2020

We're flying to Milan and originally planned to go to Chamonix, but with the possible quarantine for return from France, are now exploring options on the Itallian side instead.

Looking for longer routes around the AD/D (<6a and scott IV) range, can be rock or mixed. One obvious tick we've been considering is Matterhorn via the Lion ridge. Any other tips?

 mcawle 12 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

Monte Rosa, or it's not far to get to Saas in Switzerland from Milan.

Gone for good 12 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

Loads to go at on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. 

South West flank of Les Bosses AD +

Brouillard ridge D - III

Innominita ridge D IV

Peuterey ridge D - / D +

That'll keep you busy for a week or two!

 ClimbingNut 12 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

From the very pleasant Aosta hut:

West Ridge (AD) apparently has some better abseil stations now, making the decent a bit easier (60m ropes required though I think). 

Also a nice easy acclimatization route: Normal Route (North Side) (F)

If the lifts from Cervinia are running then Traverse of the Breithorn (AD) is fantastic. https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/digital_features/the_finest_routes_in_t... is a great description.

Post edited at 19:44
 JLS 12 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

There might be some roadside ice climbing soon...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mont-blanc-glacier-melt-cli...

 MG 12 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

Take a look at the Cogne peaks. La Grivola, Herbetet, Gran Serra etc

cb294 12 Aug 2020
In reply to MG:

+1 for the Dent d'Herens West ridge. Also, if the weather craps out up high, some of the best rock climbing is to be had towards the lower (Eastern) parts of the valley, e.g. down near Arnad. La Rossa e il Vampirla on Pilastro Lomasti is particularly great!

CB

cb294 12 Aug 2020
In reply to MG:

Grivola in that heat? You must be mad!

CB

 MG 13 Aug 2020
In reply to cb294:

Good point - I don't know the current weather. Also the ENE ridge approach has fallen down I think.

OP Gwinn512 13 Aug 2020

Awesome, thanks for all the tips. We're looking into the Breithorn traverse and Dent d'Hérens Tiefenmatten ridge, as well as probably something on Dufourspitze later.  And Arnad looks like a great option for shorter days if there's storm in the afternoon in the forecast

 Dom Goodwin 13 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

Certainly would recommend the Breithorn traverse, it's brilliant and should go in a lot of conditions. Don't settle for the "half traverse" though, that misses a lot of the fun! We did it from the Ayas hut, which worked fine (a previous attempt based in Switzerland with a very early start from Cervinia Guides hut didn't go so well - took ages just to reach Roccia Nera...). We took the direct descent through the icefall on the way back to the hut (it's shorter, so tempting), but probably not the best idea to be honest, I'd advise going round the long way if returning to Ayas Hut in the afternoon.

Normally I'd suggest Grandes Jorasses normal route, which is superb (but serious), though I think it's dangerous at the moment.

Dent du Geant is excellent and much more enjoyable if you avoid the fixed ropes. Go up the Burgener slab a few metres to the right of the ropes, lovely climbing on little flakes. It's probably about VS, with one really tough move at the crux, which is where you rejoin the rope line so can always haul up the hard move if required (though it would feel like cheating)... We did it in rock shoes.

Rochefort Ridge too, of course.

Signalgrat looks a great route in teriffic position, though I haven't done that one.

Loads of great long committing routes on the south side of Mont Blanc (I haven't done these either) as someone already suggested; also Brenva Spur.

NB These are just a load of good routes I've done - I don't know what's a good idea in the current conditions...

 aostaman 13 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

The Aosta Jeremiah here.

I can read and speak Italian and have lived there. I look at the local online news.  There's barely a day without rescue reports and the weather is seriously hot with big and unpredictable thunderstorms. My friend's car was showing 44˚ in Aosta town centre, eek. Elsewhere in this thread are the references to Planpincieux glacier and the closure of Val Ferret.

Check the news locally re Monte Rosa. Yesterday there was a massive storm with flooding and a lot of local damage in Val d'Ayas, ie GressoneyChampoluc area. In the story there, is that the heat has broken an area of the Rollin glacier and there's lots of debris in the floods.

https://aostasera.it/notizie/cronaca/in-val-dayas-il-torrente-courtaud-e-in...

The advice to stay away from Grivel (sorry Grivola) is very wise and I would be very cautious around anything mixed. Having said that I am in the 'post mixed' era of my climbing career, ie I'm old.

Get hold of Val'd'Aosta Sport Climbing by Massimo Bal and Patrick Raspo. It's a new guide and the English is excellent.

Someone's mentioned Arnad, a great escape from the big hills but it will be hot hot with these temps. Try Placche Oriana, it faces North, it's a bit higher and much quieter during the week, (forget weekends it will be a zoo).

Cogne as well. Lots up there.

https://aostasera.it/

Post edited at 17:45
 chris bedford 14 Aug 2020
In reply to Gwinn512:

You could try the Piccolo - Gran Paradiso traverse from the Chabod hut if it gets a bit of snow to freshen things up. We needed two axes to get to the col de Montandayné which was a bit icy a couple of weeks ago, follow your nose over the Piccolo towers, a few raps off fixed anchors, traverse anything on the left where possible. Great snow ridge to the Grand. 50m rope fine. Nice easy descent from the GP at the end. 12 hours hut to hut for us.

 MG 14 Aug 2020
In reply to chris bedford:

Did you enjoy it? We did the reverse a few years ago from the Pol and also found the slope below Montandayne icy, to the point we went back up and over  the peak and then down to the Leonessa. A long day but one of my best ever.

 chris bedford 14 Aug 2020
In reply to MG:

Brilliant day out, all the alpine climbing skills needed - two-axe front pointing, loose rock (!), interesting route finding, raps (fixed anchors 👍), beautiful snow arete to finish, and an easy descent. Never technically hard (III max.?) but - yes - a long day (more than 9 hours to the GP). Wouldn’t like to do it the other way....


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