It was cold and we were in Mello. We had been looking for easy ice in the neighbouring Val dei Bagni but a recent snow fall had hidden all traces of our line. We were in Mello, but with little hope of finding something at our grade. We had at least full sacks and were determined to enjoy a walk in the snow, and how can you fail to enjoy such surroundings. The shear rock faces silent under a dusting of fresh snow. Smooth and bright in summer, now dark and cold. As we expected ice was not easy to find, reaching rifugio Luna Nascente we got our first glimpse; a long thin line dividing a vast granite slab. Steep and precarious was not really what we were after, so we continued forging our own tracks along the valley floor; quite fatiguing with full packs I must admit.
Reaching the head of the valley a distant ice fall penetrated it’s rocky confines, but to far and too difficult for us, better left in the imagination. We instead turned towards rifugio Allievi. Even through the trees the snow was deep and collapsed under our weight as we ascended, progress constantly slow. As the ground steepened we drew our axes, entering a funnel the soft snow slipped over the older harder layer. Spin-drift blew down on us adding weight to the already deep crust. It was starting to feel more serious now but as the slope relented difficulties eased.
We had decided we were not going to reach the rifugio, we had shown willing and could retreat gracefully. A glimpse of an Ibex doing its thing darting about the trees rewarded us for our efforts.