02 Jan Ice – Gran Cascata di Novalesa

On the mountains of Val di Susa, near Turin, Gian Carlo Grassi – pioneer of ice climbing in Italy – has done an extensive and intense exploration campaign which then condensed in the book / guide Ghiaccio dell’Ovest. One of the first areas to be considered by Grassi and his companions was Novalesa, the village above Susa at the beginning of Val Cenischia.
 
It was 23 January 1979 when Grassi, with Alberto Soncini,  climbed the Gran Cascata of Novalesa , the most obvious of iced lines over the village. At that time, very few were the already climbed frozen waterfalls in the Alps.
 
It’s been 31 years since then, but the Gran Cascata of Novalesa, despite the low difficulty, it is always busy and climbed  in the colder periods of the year by a large number of ice-climber, thanks to the easy access, the presence of the sun that makes it sparkling and to the breadth that allows multiple paths even to more teams.
 
Gran Cascata di  Novalesa – 250m – WI 3 -. SW – Altitude 1000m