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Cogne Tips and Conditions

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 joe.91 04 Jan 2016
Off to Cogne next week, any body have any info on conditions bar the normal http://www.iceclimbingcogne.com/ website?

Driving from Geneva to Cogne and wondered which is the best supermarket to get food? Cogne itselff or get food in France and drive it through the tunnel?

Any other tips would be helpful!
 Dave Williams 04 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

As an alternative to shopping in France, there are some big supermarkets on the SS26 on the western side of Aosta. Once off the E25 - just carry on into town past the turn off for Cogne. Cogne's too small to have a supermarket and only has a very small mini-market with quite a limited selection of food.

Conditions: https://www.facebook.com/Effimeri-barbagli-1408980406028996/

It all looks quite strange without any snow at the moment, but access to routes should be far far easier as a result.
1
 BStar 04 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

I can't help other than the normal website unfortunately. I'd be very appreciative if you could report back here with any conditions updates as I'm going out there on the 15th of Jan for a week.

Good luck!
 MG 04 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:
There is a HUGE supermarket in Aosta called Gros Cidac behind the railway station. The shop in Cogne isn't bad actually and has all you will need, including bread daily.
Post edited at 11:36
 CurlyStevo 04 Jan 2016
In reply to Dave Williams:

it snowed 5cm yesterday I think.
 Tom Briggs 04 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

My colleague, Ed Chard, is in Cogne this week. He's on twitter @edupahill
 Andy Morley 05 Jan 2016
In reply to MG:

> There is a HUGE supermarket in Aosta called Gros Cidac behind the railway station.

Supermarkets are alright if you can't get any better information and are happy just to go tourist. If you want to try something more, there's a little mediaeval town called Villeneuve a few K upstream from Aosta - you can get brilliant artisan cheeses, air-dried beef, different kinds of bread and stuff like that from little back-street charcuteries and the like. It's worth a bit of time if you can possibly spare it just to get the benefit of some fantastic real local food. The Pizza place there ain't half bad either - cross the river, turn right at the church. There is actually more to life than climbing

 joem 05 Jan 2016
In reply to Andy Morley:

> There is actually more to life than climbing

LIES
 Andy Morley 05 Jan 2016
In reply to joem:

> LIES

Pies?
 MG 05 Jan 2016
In reply to Andy Morley:

This is all true, although the Gros Cidac in fact does all the local stuff too. This is Italy...

The OP was asking about Cogne which does have some (expensive) artisanal shops, although I don't know if they are open all year.
 ianstevens 05 Jan 2016
In reply to Andy Morley:

In my experience, stuff like this is generally purchased by "wanabee local" tourists, whilst real locals just go to the supermarket. Also bear in mind that supermarkets in France/Switzerland/Italy tend to sell stuff from down the road anyway.
 Andy Morley 05 Jan 2016
In reply to MG:

> The OP was asking about Cogne which does have some (expensive) artisanal shops, although I don't know if they are open all year.

Of course they will be expensive if they're in Cogne. Most people don't really leave the beaten track whether it's the Himalayas or Chatsworth House gardens and so most people end up paying through the nose. But you only have to go a short distance in most places to find something better.

Macelleria A.Segor, Villeneuve - gourmet paradise unless you're veggie (though the cheese is also fab), cheap too - Google him. And no, I'm not on commission
OP joe.91 05 Jan 2016
In reply to MG:

Thanks for the responses.

Rather than detouring to Aosta, is there any supermarkets that are on the way? ie in courmayeour or on the A40 from Geneva to Cham?
 MG 05 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

There are several in Courmayeur, yes, fairly small. The biggest is uphill from the centre on the main road (not the Autostrada), towards Val Feret. There is also one right in the centre just uphill and right a bit from the bus station. Andy is right, exploring some of the local food and wine is well worthwhile and any small loss of time irrelevant - don;'t think of shopping as a chore to be done as quickly as possible. Any of the village alimentari will have local cheese, meat and bread (go early for this).
 Andy Morley 05 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:
> Rather than detouring to Aosta, is there any supermarkets that are on the way? ie in courmayeour or on the A40 from Geneva to Cham?

Depends which route you go. I believe the fastest route is probably along the North side of Lac Leman. However if you go South, once you leave Switzerland and find yourself back in France (due to an oddity of the local boundaries) you will find supermarkets along there - can't remember the specific ones but I'm sure you could find them. On the South (French) side, places like Thonon-Les-Bains tend to be a bit busy but there's a little town a bit further on that has a supermarket pretty much on the main road. Having said that, if you don't mind paying Swiss prices and go north of the lake, then there are bound to be some there too around Lausanne, though I've never been that way myself.
Post edited at 16:36
tuna 10 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

I was there yesterday. Ice is there, but it is a bit warm still. Patri is good, a bit slushy for the ice screws in places though. It should be better after Wednesday - cooler and clearer.
 dan wisey 11 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

There is a massive supermarket at Sallanches on the way from Geneva towards Cham, you cant miss it as its right next to the motorway. It will have everything you`ll want and a bit cheaper than supermarkets in towns like Chamonix etc
 SteveM 21 Jan 2016
In reply to tuna:

Does anyone have an update on conditions? We're flying out on Saturday for a week!
 CurlyStevo 21 Jan 2016
In reply to SteveM:

Current forecast is warming up from sunday I'm afraid
 SteveM 21 Jan 2016
In reply to CurlyStevo:

I'm hoping that's not necessarily a bad thing? Recent entries in the icebook on the cogne conditions FB page have referred to fragile and brittle ice so some consolidation would be useful. A bit of extra sun might reduce any avalanche risk from the bowls above the climbs too later in the week. I also noticed there's usually a discrepancy between forecast temps on the big sites and what cogne report as the local temp. This week it's been the difference between -23 degC reported on FB and about -4 degC on the big weather sites. The steep sided valley should still be in shade too - I'm remembering some very chilly belays in the past.

Keen to hear any recommendations/reports from the last few weeks - jagged globe seem to have been out there but there's been little on their twitter feed...
 BStar 21 Jan 2016
In reply to SteveM:

Hi Steve,

I'm out here at the moment, flying back tomorrow. It's my first ever ice climbing holiday so I'm not sure if my judgement on conditions is that good... Our week started and the ice was thin on Cascade de lillaz P1, P2 and P5. By the end of the week this had fattened up noticeably and all pitches were climbable (for my standard). Like you said, one day this week we had a -17degC walk in to a route, to find the ice was very brittle and we ended up backing off as we didn't feel that confident on it. Today we went to try Artistico, the ice was quite wet and soft as it was much warmer. Again, we backed off as it felt quite hard for WI3 and I was shattered after the first pitch. There are lots of people about and plenty of frozen falls, we have seen people in Lillaz gully, Troll, Thoule, Patri, Artistico and plenty of other falls that we didn't know the names of. It does look like it is warming up a little bit, but hopefully there will still be plenty of ice left for you.
 SteveM 22 Jan 2016
In reply to BStar:

Thanks bstar
 Annabel Tall 25 Jan 2016
In reply to joe.91:

Hi Jo,

I had to have a laugh at the thought of leaving the ice and perfectly good shops (excellent pizzas/bars etc) in Cogne to drive all the way down the wiggly road towards Aosta to buy artisan cheeses! You'll find everything you need in Cogne and prices are fine, although the shops do have some mysterious local mid week closing times which you need to check when you get there so you're not caught unawares.
 CurlyStevo 25 Jan 2016
In reply to Annabel Tall:

The spar shops on the continent are nothing like ours, the one in Cogne sold some pretty descent stuff IIRC.
 barry donovan 25 Jan 2016


You get back skanked from the climbing with your arms falling off - needing a drink - fire up the hire car (the chains have been on it all week) - drive down icy roads at 10mph - flop into the pizza house and order a beer then eat a pizza the size of a dustbin lid for nine euros.

Removed User 26 Jan 2016
In reply to barry donovan:

> pizza the size of a dustbin lid for nine euros.

Not forgetting a massive insalata verde on the side.
 drsdave 26 Jan 2016
In reply to Removed UserBwox:

we just got back sunday evo, left Lillaz in cold nights averaging -7 but in the day and on the east face, very hot and some of the routes are not formed. You'll find a good mix of routes formed though albeit a little thin for that area (so Ive been told). Incidentally a friend of mine from Austria has emailed me wondering how Scotland is shaping up as Austria isnt too good apparently.
 Annabel Tall 22 Feb 2016
In reply to joe.91:

huge thaw monday, 20 degrees plus! Ice falling down all over the place. Saw 3 wet snow avalanches, one too close! Heading off on a quest today for artisan cheeses
Removed User 22 Feb 2016
In reply to Annabel Tall:

How's the birdies coming along? Is the ban still in place?

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