A solo ice adventure in the Apennines

First days of 2020
We find ourselves in winter, even if this year’s season could be more accurately termed an “extended autumn” rather than an actual winter due to low snowfall. Corno alle Scale is the most interesting mountain in the area and is also close to where I live. Indeed, I can get to it by car in about an hour and a half. Being so near, I am very familiar with it. Indeed, you could go as far as to say that it is my “home mountain”.
Although this massif is in the Apennines, it has interesting geological and environmental features that charge us with powerful emotions across all the seasons. In structural terms, it is a grassy mountain with various spurs of stratified rock. The Corno plunges steeply into a closed valley between prominent gullies, with differences in height ranging between 100 and 400 metres on the North-East face. The valley is completely isolated from the rest of the landscape due to its position, and is therefore known as the “Valley of Silence”. Even though the valley is not particularly large, confined as it is between rocks and grassy elevations, it immediately makes you feel alone in nature, in an almost total absence of human artifacts. These features make it one of the most magical spots that I know in the Apennines.
It also makes the Corno perfect for escaping everyday life in the city and spending some time in the great outdoors.

January, 11th
Straight after returning from my beloved Dolomites, my great passion for adventure as well as the desire to continue my mountain climbing training have made me want to get out there and take off to the mountains. That’s why I have decided to have a beautiful ice experience near home.
With my gear loaded into the car, I set off in the direction of the base of Corno alle Scale. Seeing the lake iced over but the wood totally snowless undoubtedly creates a sense of sadness...I begin to walk through the beech grove so that I can get to the famous Valley of Silence in a short time. Despite the lack of snow, my eyes are nonetheless filled with joy. It is chilly, with the temperature below zero even though the sun is shining. I take in all of the valley and look at the channels to be climbed shortly. I decide to go up one of the first channels. It is visibly steep, but the map showed no extreme slopes. We must never venture into moves that are too risky when climbing icy channels. And as I am alone, I must take particular care to assess the difficulty of the road. Having finally made it to the end of the grassland, I prepare myself for the climb by sitting down next to the solid tongue of ice that forms the base of the gully. Crampons on my feet, an ice axe fastened to my wrist, a helmet and backpack over my shoulders!
At first, the gully is not too steep and I only need the ice axe as a support. Incidentally, the ice is fantastic! I just love the sound that the crampons make when they perforate the smooth surface of the ice. It’s a noise that almost becomes addictive for us winter lovers. As I continue to climb, I realise just how exciting the scenery around me is, even if it is not typically a wintry one. I therefore decide to stop and take a few photographs, once I have secured myself to a piton that someone had previously driven into the crevice. A short while later, I resume my climb. As I enter a narrow passage between two rocky walls, I notice the increased slope in which I almost deceptively find myself. Whenever I look behind me, the slope is always much steeper than it appeared to be during the climb, so much so that if I decide to turn around to go back safely, I would have to abseil down. After overcoming this large chamber set amidst soaring rocky walls, I go through a narrow passage where I find a small crevice. Once I have carefully climbed it, it offers me an outstanding view of the summit of the gully which - with one final, exhaustive push - takes me up to the top. Once stood up top, I realise that I am really happy and enthusiastic about the route that I have just covered. I’m alone and my highlander spirit is proud. There is such a strong wind at the top that I have to descend on a less panoramic and exposed side. I’m unable to keep standing since it is blowing so forcefully!
Back in the car, I find myself thinking about how much excitement such a small and little known mountain can give us. The environment that few people visit and that is so isolated from civilisation makes Corno alle Scale a wonderful terrain for adventure. It is useful for those, like me, who are trying to learn winter mountain climbing techniques and for everyone who wants to broaden their horizons by having new experiences.