UKC

I have the chance to go climbing in Cogne for a week mid January, unfortunately I can't go at any other point this winter other than this week.

Does anyone want to share any opinions on what to expect that time of year? I thought this might be a little bit early, I was thinking mid Feb would have a higher chance of success but I could be wrong.

Things I've been thinking:
- Daylight hours - are they enough?
- Ice condition - will it be too lean (Generally, I'm not asking for any crystal ball work!)
- Avalanche risk - will it be greater earlier on in the season?
- Temperature - Will it be too cold?!
- Any other considerations?

Thanks in advance!

In reply to BStar:

It should be pretty good - but for upto date info have a look at...

https://www.facebook.com/Les-Nigritelles-50501268037/

and

and http://www.iceclimbingcogne.com/

Steve

In reply to BStar:
I have found the first week in February to be a good time. It obviously depends year on year. I have been 6 separate weeks over the years. Earliest I have been is mid Jan. Latest is mid March.
If you could chose I would wait till late Jan / early Feb to maximise your chances.

I do not think temperature or daylight hours or Avalanche risk are any real different. Just the quality / thickness of the ice. Another thing to bear in mind is the falls will get easier later in the season as they see a lot of traffic and may be ladders of hooks. That is not necessarily a bad thing if you are not an amazing ice climber (like me).

Having just re read your message I can see you have only this option this year. Just go for it......it is a great place and there will be plenty to do in mid Jan.

In reply to BStar:

I would say mid Jan to mid Feb is the most reliable time. As with anywhere it's a gamble but it's a good gamble imo.

In reply to BStar:

I've now been to Cogne a few times in mid January and it's been okay every time, but admittedly better some years than others, last year being the worst. We still climbed every day though, but had to do some driving around to other (reasonably nearby) areas such as Valle di Ollomont, Valsavarenche, Val di Rhêmes etc. December is the start of the ice climbing season and temps as low as -18C have already been recorded there earlier this month. So ice is normally plentiful in the Cogne area by the middle of January, but seasonal variability means that not all routes may be in condition. If things are a bit lean, you should still find plenty of stuff to do, not only around Lillaz and Valnontey but in the valleys mentioned above as well as Valgrisenche to the west of Val di Rhêmes. Few Brits venture to these far western valleys, but it's well worth it. A visit to Gressoney is also perfectly do-able in a day by car, as the walk-ins are short.
Yes.
Not usually, but see above. In January of this year, none of the lower stuff was in condition, but the higher routes were okay. This is also a good little site to refer to and current conditions (in Valgrisenche at least) are looking good: https://www.facebook.com/Effimeri-barbagli-1408980406028996/
Possibly. The nightmare scenario is a big dump of snow while you're there. It's happened to me twice in the last 6 years. Avalanches are usually common as a result, so you'll need to seek local advice as to what's safe or not - eg keep well away from Valnontey routes such as Thoule, Valmiana,, Sentiero dei Troll, Erfaulet etc.
It varies a lot. I've experienced temps from -25C to -5C in a matter of days ...
A new bumper book of fun was published last year and IMHO it's a must-have. It's in Italian only - ''EFFIMERI BARBAGLI - Cascate di ghiaccio in Valle d'Aosta'' by Matteo Giglio. There was some talk last year that it was going to be translated into English but I've no idea whether this was wishful thinking or fact. Anyway, the Italian version is perfectly usable but AFAIK, it's not available in the UK. I bought my copy directly from the author. http://matteo-giglio.blogspot.co.uk/p/effimeri.html but it's available locally in Aosta as well as in Chamonix.

HTH.

Dave

In reply to Dave Williams:

Thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate them!

Looks like I might be going after all

In reply to BStar:

Info on a bird ban in Valvontey: http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=43...

In reply to BStar:
Every website I go on has different climate data for cogne but I think this table reflects the situation best
http://en.climate-data.org/location/324120/ remember these are average temp (and average min and average max). So on average by mid march the temp on average is mostly above freezing.

Basically mid jan to mid feb are the most reliable times, not mid feb to mid march like Scotland / SW Norway. Its much more of a continental weather (less maritime) so the time it takes the sea to heat up and cool down effects the weather much less.

Unfortunately you can get the Foehn wind at almost any point in the winter so its luck of the draw on that one, and some winters are better than other. Its very warm just now for the time of year.

Personally with ice climbing I think it pays to book at the last minute and pay more to get more of a sure thing......

In reply to BStar:

I visited around new year a couple of years ago. Great conditions. Wouldn't think twice about mid-Jan.

In reply to BStar:
As others have said, generally it should be ok but it does vary. Last year it was pretty limited till late January due to being unusually warm.

Daylight won't be a big issue, may be walk out / ab off in the dark for the bigger and further alway routes but generally the walk ins are fairly short (lots to do within an hour) and the ab anchors are usually double bolts so minimal faff even in the dark, just make a note of where they are as you're climbing up.

In reply to SteveM:

Thanks for bird ban info - Out first week Feb
Steve

In reply to steveb2006:

You're welcome. We're flying out Saturday 23/1 so I'll try and update on here about conditions during the week. Psyched!