Lee Harrison Climbing

Our flight was not until 9pm so there was time for another route - provided no epics. It had snowed for much of yesterday and also during the night so it made extra sense to stay close to Lillaz under the circumstances. I thought I had seen climbers on the upper pitches of the 3 star WI4+ Sospiri Ibernati during our descent from E Tutto Relativo yesterday so I was keen to take a closer look. There was another six inches of powder to contend with today. The trail up the hillside was still present and there was a hard crust beneath the fresh layer of snow to aid ascent. On closer inspection it became apparent that we had yesterday been looking at an icy couloir further right called Pattinaggio Artistico as the first pitch of Sospiri Ibernati was absent. The former route now seemed the best option for squeezing another climb in without drama. Pattinaggio Artistico Direct incidentally looked in top condition. The absent first pitch of Sospiri Ibernati (WI4+) Pattinaggio Artis...

After yesterday’s long day out we were happy to try something a little closer to home again. Particularly given that there was a large amount of snowfall forecast today. We knew that E Tutto Relativo was in good condition having spoken to other climbers and the 10m vertical ice section looked a good progression on previous routes we had climbed on the trip. Temperatures were hovering around zero but they had been minus numbers in the night so we anticipated good ice conditions again. Approaching the base of the route It was another busy morning but everybody was suitably spaced out so that there were no delays. Anna led the initial 70 degree ice pitch, which was a little wet, with water running out of one screw placement. Axe and front point placements easily bit into the ice as a consequence though. First pitch The main pitch looked impressive but was surprisingly easy due to the amount of traffic that the route had seen. A series of deep hooks led all the way to the top ...

After yesterday’s relatively short day we were keen to explore further up one of the valleys than previously ventured. The freezing level was predicted to rise to around 2000m today so the sensible thing was to aim high. I was keen to stick with WI4s, now that Anna was finding her feet on ice, so it was time to try one of the Cogne classics Petri de Gauche. Maybe Petri de Droite if I was feeling in good form. The longer walk up the valley felt a stroll compared to previous outings due to the firm path that had formed in the snow. This continued all the way to the start of route. There were already two groups climbing the first pitch as we approached with two more teams gearing-up lower down. The guidebook described the route as being the most popular in Cogne, which seemed hard to believe given busyness of Cascades de Lillaz. We waited our turn whilst more climbers approached the route from the valley. The guidebook was evidently right. This route really was a honey pot. The walk...

After resting-up on New Years Day we were ready to hit the ground running. Anna’s leading was improving so swinging leads on Lillaz Gully now looked possible. For the first time on the trip we were able to follow an existing trail through the snow to the base of the route, which made for a remarkably easy approach compared to the preceding ones. View back to Lillaz Anna led the first pitch, which climbed an aesthetic ice gully. The ice was in good condition with first-time placements but the climbing was made easier by the existing ice screw holes and stepped-out nature of the ice. Two rope lengths of easy snow slopes then led us to a short gully of ice, which Anna also led. This pitch was less steep but the ice was thinner to counter this. First pitch The guidebook described the fourth pitch as “40m, 85 degrees” so I was expecting some sustained ice climbing. In reality the ice was relatively easy to climb but it tapered out towards the top of the pitch, which meant so...

Our initial plan had been to climb a WI3+ called Thoule but we found ourselves behind a group of six on the trail who were all intent on climbing the same route. We quickly aborted plans and headed further up the Valnontey valley with no real back-up objective. The prominent icefall on the first pitch of Valmiana soon caught our eye though. The route We broke the trail to the base of a route for the third time this trip. The deep snow was no less unconsolidated and we progressed at a rate of about half mile/hour. Every foot was hard work. Anna admirably insisted on breaking the trail for for the first part despite the depth of soft snow being half her height at times. Midway between the valley path and the route was a prominent step, above which the snow underfoot suddenly became firm with the exception of the top foot of powder. It became apparent that we were standing on top of a huge avalanche field, which extended all the way to the base of the climb. Presumably it had slid f...

We were feeling a little tired after yesterday's long approach and late finish so opted for Cascades de Lillaz today. We were first on the route - something we were keen to achieve after seeing five pairs of climbers in the vicinity of the initial pitch two days ago. As with yesterday there were sections of thin ice and sections with running water below but overall the ice consistency was much improved. Maybe due to the route having been better swept clean of the fresh dump of snow, unlike routes further afield. We split the first pitch into two halves. Water was pouring down the centre-middle-left of the icefall so we opted to climb the right side, which involved a steep curtain of ice to a bolted belay to right of the main cascade. First pitch The right-hand side of the upper part of the icefall consisted of transparent chandelier ice. It looked as though it would fracture easily so I traversed slightly left towards the centre where tiny snow ledges were visible and t...

It had been a hard slog through deep powder snow and over boulders to the bottom of the route but Gran Val in the Valnontey Valley looked an excellent objective for Anna's first day of water ice. The second and third pitches looked particularly enticing with the latter's ice couloir looking characteristically 'Scottish'. Deep snow The route The first pitch was very easy apart from more deep snow wading to reach an ice screw belay on the right. There was probably a bolt belay somewhere but it was lost beneath the snow. The second pitch provided some enjoyable climbing up the impressive icefall but the ice quality was inconsistent. What's more the temperatures felt above freezing and there was water running beneath the ice in multiple locations. Many of my axe placements were soft and sometimes unreliable. Often a top layer of rotten ice needed to be stripped from beneath the snow coverage to find more reliable placements. My mono-points felt equally in...