La Fayet dry tooling and early Cogne ice!...

The weather had been changeable over the last few days in the Mont Blanc massif. On Tuesday we decided to visit the drytooling venue referred to as the 'Dry Spa' in La Fayet.

Under the recommendation of local Mountain Guide Jonny Baird, we quickly managed to get desperately pumped arms on some of the easier routes. Normally climbed with rock boots, these routes are given French sport grades, using small drilled holes for your axes. Definately worth while for a bit of a work out.

Yesterday, we opted for a slightly more traditional day and decided to head through the tunnel into Italy. It was snowing steadily all day with the temperature hovering around minus 2. The ice is building fast in Cogne, and although many routes are sill incomplete, we managed to climb about 250-300m of Scottish III style ice.

More snow is forecast this afternoon and this evening, and as such it might mean a return to skiing for the next few days..