Ice Climbing in the Western Alps

Maurienne Valley (France)


Navigating on the central icewall of the Beriond fall (Ph. A. Ceresa) Sticky business on the first pitch of the Coelle fall (Ph. A. Ceresa)

Back to Icehome Argentera Bardonecchia Ceillac Fournel
Freissinieres La Grave Gressoney Maurienne Varaita
General characteristics of the site:
The Maurienne valley is easily reached from Bardonecchia by the Frejus Tunnel. The valley is very, very long: you drive through Modane and there is no sign of ice. You drive, and you start to believe that you might be victim of a stupid joke. Just before the beginning of the descent to Bessans the first icefall is visible on the left... The ice is lost in a really large face, so the climbs look really small. They are not.
Favourable period:
The climbs are located between 1900 and 2050 meters and they are very protected from the sun. Many icefalls are already feasible in mid-December and they keep growing until March. Unfortunately most of the climb are exposed to severe danger of avalanche, so stay away after heavy snow fall.
How to get there. By car:
From Bardonecchia go to Modane by crossing the Frejus Tunnel. Follow the signs to Lanslevillard, Col de la Madeleine-Col de l'Iseran (N6). After descending from the Col de la Madeleine you enter in the wonderful meadows that host Bessans. Immediately before Bessan there is a huge face on the left (orographic right) with up to four well visible icefalls. The Coelle fall is the first one.
Sleeping, eating, walking around:
Bessans is at the heart of the area and it is a lovely spot for resting and eating. In spite of the fact that most of the village was reconstructed after a fire in 1944, this little town is still very charming. The church and the St. Antoine chapel (XIV century) survived the death by fire and are worth a visit. There are some nice wooden sculpture in the church and some interesting mural paintings in the chapel.

Check a wonderful cheese store in the main square. Don't forget that Bessans is not far away from the area where Beaufort, the best cheese in the world, originates.

There are several sports store carrying basic climbing equipment in Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard and Bonneval. Nothing to write home about, but if you have forgot the rope home you might be able to find a replacement.

Climbing guides and maps:
Ghiaccio dell'Ovest by G.C. Grassi.
Institut Geographique National Top 25: 3634 OT Val Cenis-Charbonnel (1:25000).
Very strangely there is no specific guide for the area. Years ago I have heard that an ice climbing guide was in preparation. I have waited, I have waited but nothing appeared. One day, perhaps...

The Climbs:


Coelle Fall

Getting there:
After descending from the Maddeleine Pass, leave the car nearby the bridge on the river (2.5 km before Bessans) and easily walk to the base of the climb.
Description:
Climb the first pitch by a very complex climb that requires continues adjustment to the conformation and quality of the ice. The hardest moves are a few mantles over vertical steps ending up over ledges covered with powder or inconsistent ice. (90º and over, sustained, protection sometimes doubtful). When you are ready to finally give up and to land nearby your companion down below, the fall eases up a little and a vague oblique ramp to the left will lead you to a vision from heaven: two bolts on the rocks at the left. Now it is time to relax and enjoy the incredulous moanings of your companion. By the time he arrives you can even pretend that the pitch was not that hard. The second pitch it is easier but not easy. Climb the gully overcoming a number of almost vertical steps by means of abstute bridging. The second belay is on two adorable bolts on the right (80º then easing up, 45 m).
Descent:
Easy abseils from the bolts. The classic descent is very delicate on the left.
Notes:
This is a strange climb. When you look at this icefall it seems so small and lost on the face that you wonder if it was worth the drive. Then, during the approach, the fall becames larger and larger, and by the time you'll be below there you won't be so sure anymore. Icefalls are strange, they rarely look the way they are. This one does not look too bad, but the feeling of self confidence will last exactly 5 meters up in the first bewildering pitch. The factor that plays an overwhelming role in determining the difficulty of this pitch is the very strange condition of the ice. Here the ice is made of a thin crust covering nothing but air and it alternates with fragile curtains of icicles or with walls of vertical powder. Gian Carlo Grassi wrote a short story telling the day of their first ascent in 1981. They seemed to find the same conditions and problems that we found ten years later. Keep this in mind: the Coelle is a very interesting climb.
More pictures

Frete Fall


Getting there:
From the village of Bessans continue in direction of Bonneval. You must be blind not to see the fall characterised by a huge icicle, glooming over the road on the back of the cross country ski trails. Park the car, look at the slopes over the summit of the fall. See, there are very few trees. Can you guess why?
Description:
Climb the initial wall near the center, following the easier line (75º, sustained, 50 m). Climb a steeper and delicate wall and then either start obliquing left, or gain the base of the icicle (80º). Climb the icicle near its center, depending on conditions (90º and more, a nice tree at the summit). Otherwise traverse left looking for the thickest ice and gain the summit by a prominent gully (70º-80º and short steeper steps, delicate, sometimes on thin ice).
Descent:
Delicate. Traverse right untill reaching some small pine trees (identify them from the road). One abseil and then descend on terrain that is pretty delicate at first.
Notes and Tales:
Cautionary tale number 1. There were four of us standing by at the side of the road in the freezing morning. There was a lot of snow up there and we were silently interrogating the mountain. Was it going to avalanche or not? Should we have taken the chance or not? The fact that we were even just thinking about that climb was saying more about the beauty of the icefall than about our recklessness. Suddenly, without any warning, the mountain disappeared under a white coat of snow. When the rumble arrived to us the white cloud was not dissipated yet, and it didn't for an awfully long while. Without saying a single word, we returned to the car and we went away to some safer place. Now, about those treeless slopes up there...

Beriond Fall

Getting there:
After the Frete Fall the valley becomes narrower. The Beriond Fall is on the right about half way between La Frete and Bonneval (near a locality marked Rocher du Chateau). Leave the car just underneath. The climb is composed by three sections and the central one is by far the most interesting. If running out of time, the first step can be avoided on the left. The approach is not overly long, but it can be pretty strenuous if there is lots of snow. Beware of possible wind slabs.
Description:
The first step run in a narrow gully. Overcome it and continue in the snow gully pointing to a short icicle leading to the beautifull terrace under the central step. Climb it starting slightly at the left of the center. Climb vertical icicles at first and then move gradually to the right untill reaching the end of the pitch (sustained, 90º for 8 meters, then 85º-80º, 50 m). At the end of the rope there are a couple of vague ledges crowned by thick ice bulges. Place a screw belay on one of these bulges. Rumors say that there is a peg belay on the rocks at the left. I have never seen it, but traversing to the left would spoil the continuity of the climb. Continue climbing a number of short steps, belay on a tree in the snow at the top (75º-80º). Continue along the snow gully to climb the final, easier, wall (75º, 50 m).
Descent:
Delicate. From the summit traverse left and place an abseil from a tree (50 m). Scramble first, and then downclimb toward the top of the central step staying on the hidrographic right. Down climb as much as possible on the exposed rock, and place ab abseil as low as possible. Look for a tree with slings around it. If you have found the right tree you'll land at the bottom of the step. Descend on the right, walking around the initial section of the climb.
Notes and Tales:
Cautionary tale number 2: I left the white, soft horizontal world feeling like a ship slowly sailing away from the dock, few meters, and the world is not horizontal any more, but only blue verticality. There was space for nothing else that the dialogue with the mountain, wandering in her womb, gently led by the shapes of the slope and by the desires of the ice, sometimes fragile and thin, sometimes wet and empty, sometimes green and hard.

Four hours later, and ninety meters higher up on the vertical trail, the morning became afternoon, the ice became snow, the verticality became a gentle slope and we were back in the world again, the world of living beings, car races, satellite TV, personal telephones. And the days are so short that is time for descent already, even if we are still so far down from any of the many summits looming up there, descent is by inventing a cunning, tricky line between rocks, ice and trees hanging over implausible precipices. And it was then, just after gently sliding the last meters to the snow field, that came the fearsome noise from the other side of the valley of the avalanche which seen from safety is so terribly beautiful and powerful, and this one, the greatest of all the avalanches, runs down, down, crossing the valley floor, the river and dying finally as a huge, white cloud engulfing everything included the car, so small, so far down.

More Pictures
Back to Icehome Argentera Bardonecchia Ceillac Fournel
Freissinieres La Grave Gressoney Maurienne Varaita

I would be happy of receiving your comments, material to be added to the guide, images, or anything else that comes to mind. Send everything to Gimmi Ratto gimmi@in.pi.cnr.it

Copyright © 1995, 96 by Gimmi Ratto. (May 4, 1996)