Ep. 7 - Ice Climbing in Cogne, Italy with Matthias Scherer

Ep. 7 - Ice Climbing in Cogne, Italy with Matthias Scherer

Cogne is known as one of the ice epicenters in Europe

🧊 About the episode

Cogne is known as one of the ice epicenters in Europe. Located near the base of the Gran Paradiso, the only 4,000 meter peak in Italy, the Cogne Valley boasts over 400 ice climbs and many more mixed and dry-tooling lines. Consistency and accessibility are the name of the game: The microclimate and terrain means ice is reliable year-in-year-out and you can often start your approach to climbs right from your front door.

Matthias Scherer is lucky to have called the area home for the past 20 years. A sponsored athlete for most of his adult life, Matthias has devoted himself to the area and is a wealth of knowledge. In particular, he's established new mixed lines and dry-tooling crags, maintains the bolted belays, and organizes the yearly festival, the Cogne Ice Opening, along with his partner, Tanja Schmitt and her twin sister, Heike.

When Matthias isn't in Cogne, he's climbing further afield in places like the Canadian Rockies and Norway. In total, he's topped out more than 1,000 frozen waterfalls and has curated a Top 100 tick-list that is an envy to any ice climber.

In this episode we talk about the history of Cogne, advances in climbing that occurred here, classic lines, logistics, and really, anything you need to plan your own trip this winter.

Water in its frozen state is for sure the element which inspired and challenged me the most in my life.

Matthias has climbed over 1,000 frozen waterfalls, and you can see his top 100 list here. To follow along with his adventures, check him out on Instagram.

Want to join for the Cogne Ice Opening? It runs from December 14-17 and you find find all the details on their website: cogneiceopening.net

Lastly, Matthias would like to thank his sponsors for supporting his adventures: Petzl, Scarpa, Norrona, and Gloryfy, who make the stylish glasses you always see him in. 

You can connect with Matthias:

📸 @matthiasscherer | 🔗 matthias-scherer.net

🧊 Credits

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

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Written by

Aaron Gerry

Aaron Gerry

Ljubljana, Slovenia
Aaron is the host of Ice Ice Beta and one of the Online Editors of The Cooler.