18-23.04.2025 Easter in Aosta
"Get in the car and roll up the windows! Immediately!" – Yes, you heard that correctly. This was Alex shouting at us while we waited out the traffic jam in front of the Mont Blanc Tunnel. We were walking alongside the car while he spotted a police patrol ahead. But why would he be so worried? It's not like we tried to illegally smuggle a bunch of Swiss fondue to Italy. Maybe even worse: we were six of us squeezed together in a five people car. If the police caught us, it would have been a catastrophe. But how did we even get to this point?
The Tale of the Five and the Vanishing Summit
Chapter 1 : the mighty wrath
Once, in an age not so far removed from ours, there were five spirited adventurers who dreamed of white peaks and starlit skies. Their hearts were set on the mighty Bishorn, a noble mountain draped in snow and legend. One winter past, they had dared to climb its not so frozen flanks—an incredible journey, bold and beautiful—yet the summit slipped from their grasp, swallowed by harsh winds and snow-laced wrath.
But oh! How their eyes sparkled still. For they were young, and their souls burned with the fire of unfinished quests. “Let us return,” they vowed, “when spring's breath softens the heights.” And so, with excitement packed in their rucksacks, they marked the Easter weekend as sacred: the time of their triumphant return.
Yet as the moon waxed and the date grew near, a whisper spread among them. “What if,” one said, “we do not return to the Bishorn, but seek a greater journey through the span of many rising suns ?” The whisper grew into a murmur, then into many voices, each bearing ideas grand and wild. A new destination was chosen—after much debate, laughter, and dreams spun like thread beneath the stars.
And thus, two days before their departure, the Five found themselves bound for Aosta, a jewel nestled in the Italian Alps. A charming AirBnB awaited them there, and a steed of metal—rented, sleek, and ready—promised freedom on winding roads. Their spirits soared like eagles, and by train and bus through the Grand Saint Bernard they planned their escape from the mundane.
But fate, that sly and jealous trickster, had other plans.
On the eve of their flight, a mighty snowstorm cloaked the world. White and merciless, it fell like a silent army. The great roads into Italy were severed. Tunnels closed. Passes buried. An avalanche claimed the path of the Grand Saint Bernard, and with it, their hopes seemed to slip.
In haste, the Five gathered—summoned not to the battlefield, but to a call through screens and sighs. A crisis council commenced. “Should we ski over the storm and cross the alp by the power of our own legs?” one joked, half-serious. “Or flee south to the warm cliffs of the Calanques?” another offered.
Each choice glimmered with possibility, but time—cruel, relentless—tightened its grip. With mere hours left before their journey, the adventurers, weary and heavy of heart, were forced to yield. Their grand quest unraveled, not with thunder but with quiet resignation.
And so, they met—not in snowfields nor in sun-soaked Italy—but at Dieci Pizza in Lausanne. Around a wooden table, beneath the flicker of dim lights, they shared a meal and a silence. The pizza was warm, but their spirits were not.
The end. Or perhaps… the beginning.
This story could have been true without Alex. Alex, that's him. A certified climbing instructor and car owner.
He was planning to join us for a few days with his car.
The Tale of the Six and the Vanishing Summit
Chapter II: The Bold Crossing
It came from Alex, the clever and daring one, whose eyes always gleamed with mischief.
“I have an idea,” he declared, as if speaking to fate itself. “Why don’t the six of us ride in my five-seater carriage? We’ll journey to the Aosta sacred land and let the winds decide the rest. The Italian guards at the Mont Blanc tunnel—kind folk. It’s the Swiss-French sentinels who may raise their spears.”
The others fell silent. The plan was mad—perhaps even impossible. But such are the best kinds of plans in tales like these. So, with laughter hiding their nerves, the adventurers took their courage in both hands. Tim and Camille, brave as ever, boarded the iron serpent to Chamonix. There, in the mountain-shadowed town, Camillo, Jozef, Fabio and Alex swept in by car, their hearts racing faster than the engine.
Together at last, they turned their gaze toward Aosta. The road ahead was uncertain, the rules unclear, and the seats far too few. The Mont Blanc tunnel, though open, was no swift passage—it was choked with carriages as far as the eye could see. Yet onward they went—six dreamers in a world too small for fear.
And so begins the true story
D1 - An unexpected journey
In for the adventure were Camille, Jozef, Camilo, Timothée, Alex, and Fabio. A wild mix of trail runners, climbers, alpinists, comedians, culinarians, game masters, and foremost, amazing friends.
After a long car ride with lots of traffic jams, jokes, pranks, karaoke, discussions, and anticipation, we finally arrived at our cozy AirBnB for the weekend. We didn't waste much time and immediately set out for a short trail run to a stunning castle and up a closed forest path which more like resembled an obstacle course, since every couple of meters we had to climb over or under a fallen tree. We made it back to the AirBnB just before sunset. While Camille and Alex started cooking a mouth-watering Pad Thai, Fabio noticed that he can no longer find his phone which he brought to the trail run. Thinking it may have fallen out of his pocket during the run, he went back out again to retrace the steps, in hope to find his phone. Evidently without any success, because it turned out that he mindlessly put his phone on the kitchen counter when coming back from the trail run. After the delicious dinner we spent the rest of the evening talking together and playing board games.
D2 - Climbing hard
On Saturday morning we woke up early to go further down the valley to visit a nice climbing spot. However, the further we drove, the more it started raining. Climbing in this weather would be unimaginable. Disheartened, we had to turn around and head back to the AirBnB. But miraculously, the weather there appeared to be much better than further down the valley. Therefore, we decided to try out a sports climbing spot there. And we were not disappointed. We found many nice routes in all difficulties and were well entertained for the rest of the day.
Alex even managed to climb his first 7b on lead – truly impressive! Another delicious dinner, this time a spinach strudel with a tiramisu for dessert cooked by Timothée and Fabio were on the menu. Another evening of games involving lots of bluffing, deception, and laughter ended our second day in the Aosta valley.
D3 - The Easter Olympics
For the whole stay in Aosta, Camille and Timothée have been teasing us over and over again with the "Easter olympics": a competition which they have planned as a bad-weather program. Because on Sunday morning we woke up to pouring rainfall, this Easter olympics was held. In six different challenges, all involving eggs in some way or another, the team "Truova" composed of Timothée, Jozef, and Camilo, fought against team "Eggcelent Bunnies" formed by Camille, Alex, and Fabio.
Menu of "La grande olimpiadi di Pasqua"
- L'arte dell'Uovo
Who will be the best Picasso? - Il gran Cuchiarelli
Who will be the mythical champion of the cucchiaio? - La sfida del Rotolo Sacro
Who will get the golden roll? - Il guerriero della Soffice Arte
Who is going to master the most strength and delicacy? - Mission uovo impossibile
Who will be the best Leporidae? - Territorio contestato
To whom belong the Monte-Bianco?
In the first competition, each team had to decorate an egg by partially covering it with leaves, tape, or other objects, and then boiling it in ink water. However, there was a twist: to put the decoration in place, we had to wear gloves, which significantly complicated this task. Next followed an obstacle race with an egg balanced on a spoon whose handle one had to hold in ones mouth with climbing shoes; a chocolate egg hide and seek battle; a duel where one had to pull a glass of water with a roll of toilet paper as fast as possible with sunglasses; a game of ninja where each team had to attack the enemies egg while defending theirs wearing a trail rucksack; and finally a tug of war in full climbing gear. Both team won three of the competitions, hence an egg-breaking fight had to decide the winner: Team Eggcelent Bunnies.
We passed the afternoon by doing a trail run to the Orrido di Pré-Saint-Didier and a relaxing afternoon in a the saunas and jacuzzis of a hotel with beautiful views to the south side of the Mont Blanc. We wrapped up this exciting day with delicious pizzas in a lovely pizzeria.
D4 - The multi-pitch climb
Monday was the long-awaited multi-pitch day. We set out to a beautiful rock face overseeing the lower parts of the Aosta valley. While Alex skillfully guided Camille and Timothée on their first multi-pitch climb, Jozef, Camilo, and Fabio climbed another route parallel to them. Climbing next to each other transformed the typically quite solitary climbing to a fun and cooperative experience. In the afternoon, Timothée unfortunately already had to leave us to head back to Switzerland, while we did some more sports climbing. A wholesome broccoli-pasta helped us regain strengh after this long day.
D5 - Nightmarishly beautiful trail run
With sore forearms and tight shoulders, we desperately needed a day of trail running to recover from the intense climbing. We found a promising round-course which leads up to the 2178m high Monte Lyan. Starting from a welcoming small village, we first had to follow up a valley with some exposed passages to reach the start of the long climb. We advanced quite quickly, and soon reached the first snow patches. This would turn out to be the start of a nightmare: after a while the snow got so deep and soft that we would sink until our knees in almost every step. With scarred legs and freezing toes, we fought an interminable game of minesweeper to find the patches of snow which were firm enough to carry our weights, and to avoid those in which we would sometimes sink until our hips. After what felt like hours, we finally reached the summit and started the descent. With every step we took, there was less and less snow until we reached some beautiful pine forests across which we ran with pure joy. After leaving some abandoned villages behind us, we took the road back down to the valley. To our surprise, a gigantic landslide completely destroyed a section of this road, and we had to navigate through a pile of dirt, stone, and trees to get to the other side. The time on the last descent passed quickly while playing an more fun version of the Hangman game.
Once back at the car, we set off back home, enchanted by the sunset and playing "You & Me" on full volume. For a long time we tried to find a pizzeria which was still open, and eventually found one where we all got to try a white pizza.
D6 - One last climb
On the last day we packed up our gear and drove back to Switzerland to climbing one last time in Dorénaz. We stayed there until the rain picked up. Subsequently, we headed back to Lausanne and enjoyed a satiating dinner at Planet Bowl, where we talked and laughed about the many unforgettable moments we have experienced during the last few days.
Tim and Fabio
Oh, and did we forget to mention that IAFL was created on the way back ? The beginning of a long story.