How to get here

Leave the car in the parking of Glacier. At the end of the road, take the path to Bivacco Regondi, which ascends north-easterly in an oblique wooded channel called “La Gaula”. Go past all the waterfalls and continue up to a small oratory carved into the rock. The original start point of the ice climb is located further upstream to the left. The direct start point is located at the top to the right. There are about 300 metres in altitude with a rather direct path. 40 minutes.

Description of the route

It is the leftmost line of the rock bastion overhanging the left bank of the valley, above the village of Glacier. A beautiful waterfall surrounded by woodland, consisting of three independent sections. It is named after the small chapel nestled into the rocks a few metres to the right of the departure of the first pitch. Ideal for tackling frozen waterfalls for the first time.
In certain years with abundant ice, instead of the first pitch, you can climb a little more difficult start point variant, located to the right of the chapel, which reaches the base of the original pitch: Diretta dell’oratorio. II/4. 40 metres (S. Petey, P. Rollin 2007).

Level: II/3
Length: 120 m
First ascent: S. Petey, C. Rosset 1990
Altitude: 1900 m
Exposure: West
Coordinates: Lon.: 7,31257 Lat.: 45,87417 - UTM (ED50) - X: 369125,18 Y: 5081650,26

L1: easy and wide ice slide. Belay on ice high above on a snowy plateau at the base of the following jump.
L2: impressive ice wall, initially vertical, then less steep until it ends. Belay to the top of the tree. Depending on conditions, you can climb this obstacle along various lines; the ones on the left side are even more difficult (WI4).
Brief transfer on snow.
L3: climb the last not so difficult ridge and the subsequent snow slope. Belay at the top to a tree.

Descent: on foot. From the end of the ice climb, cross the woods horizontally toward the left (facing uphill) until you find the channel which descends diagonally to the start point.

Text and photos taken from Effimeri barbagli (M. Giglio, 2014), the complete guide to ice climbs in Aosta Valley.