An Alpine start, we got up extra early this morning to catch the 6.10am lift up to the Aiguille du Midi. Our plan was to climb Cheré Gully on the Triangle du Tacul, but by the time we got there someone had taken away the Triangle du Tacul. In fact someone had taken away everything! It was a complete white-out and we could barely see 10m away.

There is one great advantage to a white-out on the top of the Aiguille du Midi – the fearful ridge decent from the safety of the station isn’t half so fearful, even with a strong cross wind.

I had been worried about finding the route, I hadn’t really thought we’d have problems finding the damn mountain, but after 90 minutes of zig-zagging across the Valley Blanche, the clouds eventually departed and it all seemed very obvious.

The route was excellent, great ice and not at all steep, but I was suffering from a pulled calf muscle (all that bumbling around like incompetent Alpinists) and I was struggling by the time we got half way up. The freezing wind made up our minds and we abseiled back down, just before the clouds returned and engulfed us in white again.

Perhaps we could complete the route in winter with a ski decent of Valley Blanche?

Article Series - Chamonix 2007

1. Plan B
2. La Grande Dalle d’Amone
3. Laetitia gets the Swiss Army knife out…
4. A walk on the not so wild side
5. What time is the last train?
6. Laetitia has a cold; Paul + Pete go downhill…
7. Where’s it gone…?