The big day, and the one most likely to actually happen: 250 m on a west-facing wall that holds its condition all season while the sunny side of the Valeille rots. Wide enough for several teams at once, which is just as well, because it is the most popular multi-pitch in the valley.

Valnontey, Mur de Patri

WI4/4+ / 5 pitches, ~250 m ↗ / West-facing, shady

Logistics

Approach
  • Drive to Valnontey (45.5867, 7.3412), 6 min from Cogne, and use the paid car park at the end of the road. A small free car park near the start of the village fills early. A free shuttle runs Cogne–Valnontey; there is also the option of parking in Cogne and walking 20 min.
  • 40 min to 1 h 15 up the valley, staying on the right bank of the torrent, then a signed path leads up left towards the Patri and Acheronte falls. Much faster on skis.

Notes

  • Go on a weekday. Heavily worked by guided groups, and there is a bottleneck on pitch 4 where queues form. The Valnontey is explicitly “avoid at the weekend” territory.
  • Forms early and survives warm winters — the west aspect is the whole reason. If the trip hits a thaw, this is the route that is still there.
  • Sources split on the name: “Mur de Patri”, “Patri”, “Patry classica”, with left-hand and right-hand lines both around WI4. Lengths given as 242-250 m over five pitches.
  • The approach is inside the Gran Paradiso National Park — stay on paths, no dogs, no drones.