In reply to joe.wahab:
Mentioned in the beginning are two more definitve sounding guides:
1) Effimeri Barbagli
2) Alpine Ice Vol 1
I'd be interested to know if these books contain many higher altitude ice falls than the OAC guide.
As it happens, I've got copies of both the above guidebooks. As a one time frequent visitor to Cogne, I bought them in order to climb less frequented and more esoteric routes away from the usual Lillaz and Cogne honey pots. In this sense both are excellent, especially Effimeri Barbagli, a superb guidebook which definitively describes everything in the Aosta valley. Alpine Ice is more of a bumper fun tick book, summarily listing the 600 best ice falls in the French, Swiss, Austrian Italian and Slovenian Alps.
Popular Cogne ice falls are all comparatively high anyway (1800m at least) and generally quite accessible, yet comparatively less frequented routes in less popular places such as Valsavarenche, Valgrisenche, Valle di Ollomont etc are hardly any higher and are often lower.
The definitive Effimeri Barbagli describes everything but, realistically, if the 'usual' Valle di Cogne ice falls aren't in condition, then it's likely that the same will apply to most other accessible routes in the Aosta area as well.
The key word here is accessibility. The area's ice falls can often be climbed in lean conditions, at possibly a higher grade, but snowfall is the major embuggeration factor in the whole Cogne/Aosta area. Roads may be closed, temporarily or seasonally, by snow barriers, meaning you can't even get anywhere near the described parking for an ice fall, let alone then ski or snowshoe from there. This affects higher and more remote climbs in particular. I'm particularly reminded of a whole day wasted in a failed attempt to drive a snowchain equipped 4x4 through deep snow. We were eventually forced to give up about 4km short of the trail head for the icefall we had designs on.
A big dump of snow can also lead to dangerous avalanche conditions. The benign looking routes on the hydrographic left of Cogne's Valnontey are notorious in this respect. People, including British climbers, have been injured and even killed by avalanches here. Under such conditions, Patri is often the only 'safe' route in the whole valley.
I can't see that everything will be melted at the end of Jan, but admittedly conditions may be lean if nothing changes much in the meantime. Personally I'd welcome lean conditions with minimal snow cover rather than seeing everything buried under a big dump of snow when all you can practically do is either fester in cafés and gear shops, go snowshoeing or skiing, or climb the myriad variations on Cascata di Lillaz.
After over a decade of visiting the Aosta area annually, deep fresh snowfall became an all too frequent issue. I eventually stopped visiting and went seeking more reliable conditions, at much greater expense, in Norway instead. After one great trip and a few consecutive poor ones, the increasingly unpredictable Norwegian weather gave either lean conditions and/or big dumps of snow even there. So, a quick cost-benefit analysis meant that I simply stopped going and the ice gear went into storage. For the past few years I've been rock climbing in the Anti Atlas instead.....
My advice, FWIW, is not to worry at this stage about conditions. They are what they are and there's little or nothing you can do in mitigation.
As others have said, the Oxford guidebook is all you need for a first (or even a 2nd, 3rd...) trip. It's always exciting to go somewhere new and even if conditions are lean, you'll get something done.
HTH
Dave
Post edited at 13:07
