Special thanks to..

The following day the weather broke and the thunderstorms that greeted me on my arrival were back once more. I packed my gear away and popped round to see Ron and Fi on the Sat night to say a final thanks and cheerio. I flew home the next day to a happy happy wife, excited pet dog and a surprise welcome home party. By sheer luck there were problems with the check in computers at geneva. They waved my bag through without any questions. I had escaped additional charges yet again. My trip had been an absolutely fantastic experience. I attribute that largely to the fact that I had went with the right people. There was never any doubt in my mind at any point during the trip of the standard of company I was keeping each day. By that I mean Ron and Fi at talisman activities and their colleague Jonathan Preston (IFMGA guide). My climbing partner Julie also helped make the trip a great one too. There are glossy adverts everywhere in magazines advertising similar trips that might appear cheaper or shorter. Ask yourself this..What sort of reputation do these folk have? Do they have credentials? It became apparent to me that not everybody had enjoyed the same sort of experience as myself and Julie with some of the other guiding companies. Julie confirmed this for me with her story about a french guide trying to rush her and her team on mont blanc the previous year. Many of the uk companies will sub contract the guiding out to local french guides. It's worth bearing that in mind. You want your trip to be an enjoyable experience but more importantly you want to know that you are in safe hands as well. Take a look at www.talisman-activities.co.uk/ if you want more info. I have been on four trips/courses with them over the years and they really have pushed the bar up on my mountaineering and climbing skills. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Wind down day

We had reached the summit of mont blanc a day early so the last official day of our trip was spent rock climbing at les gaillands. That night the entire team got together at the talisman base camp over at les moliasses campsite to celebrate the end of the trip. Ron and Fi topped up the glasses with a seemingly endless supply of sparkling wine before we headed down to the restaurant for pizza. Julie, her friend Nick and myself stuck it out and wandered into town to have a few laughs at a rolling stones tribute night.

Walking out of the adventure

Within an hour we were approaching the tram station. We were all looking forward to getting the boots off by this point. There were beers and baths that had our names on them back in chamonix. I realised I was now walking out of the big alpine adventure as we approached the trams. I didn't know if I would be back again. Maybe this was my last look at the white lady. I turned around and made sure I got a good one. The summit was still free of cloud. Minutes later we were rattling down the mountain on the tram....It was all over.

View near gouter hut

We reached the gouter hut and stocked up on water and fluids whilst we had another rest. We had booked the tete rousse hut for a second night as a back up but we knew we weren't needing to stay there now so we cancelled the booking over the phone during our break. Our throats were feeling a bit sore now. Probably a side effect of breathing in the dry air at altitude for more than a fortnight. We left the gouter hut and continued our climb down the gouter ridge for a couple of hours. The ridge was busier now than it was during our ascent so we were mindful of our route choice to try to avoid any rocks being knocked down by other climbers. Eventually we reached the couloir. The last hurdle before we were on safe paths back to the tram station. It seemed fairly quiet but I did see a couple of fist sized rocks fizz across the snow at the bottom of it. There were also a couple of 'rock' shouts from above as we approached it. We readied ourselves for another danger dash. Ready.. Go!! another short dash about the length of a rope with the head down. When we arrived at a safe rock ledge on the other side I swore in triumph and relief. Job done. We were now effectively out of danger and could relax a bit. It was a fantastic feeling. We were grateful for our window of luck. Another break at the tete rousse hut offered us the chance to put more fluid away. I texted Diane to let her know I was safely off the mountain. Folk were piling into the hut in preparation for a summit bid the following day. It was great knowing that our shift was nearly over. Our legs were still working.

View from gouter dome

As we approached the final stretch before the gouter hut on the descent we snapped photos of the route which were in darkness on the way up. At this point I spotted the rescue helicopter buzzing about. I thought nothing of it. When I got home I found out a family had been killed in a tragic accident on another part of the massif around the same time we were making our descent.

Snow ridge above vallot

We reached the vallot shelter in no time. We spotted a few more circus acts on their way up as we reached the gouter col. One guy had a ninja style linen sheet over his face which had slits cut in it for his eyes and mouth. He didn't have an ice axe or crampons. He looked in a really bad way. He was part hunched and creeping up as if he was in pain. He probably hadn't acclimatised at all. It got worse. Further down the mountain we saw 'levis' man. He was making his bid for the summit in jeans and trainers. Yes you read that right..jeans and trainers. Surely it couldn't get any worse??.. unfortunately it did. As we reached the gouter hut a long line of eastern europeans snaked up onto the snow on a very long washing line. The poor tail end charlie was chalk white and tied on with a tiny pink keyring snaplink karabiner. He fell onto his face in the snow. The well rehearsed emergency system kicked in however....his friends sort of looked at each other and shouted at him to get up. When he didn't quite get to his feet the rest of the team wandered over to haul him upright whilst tangling themselves in the washing line. Jonathan provided scathing narration and instruction to us whilst the whole shamble unfolded. He was almost beside himself as we viewed this living horror show. I was thankful I was in good company....

Heading down

It was nice heading down knowing that the summit was in the bag but we made sure our concentration didn't falter on the descent. We bumped into a few climbers we had befriended in the tete rousse the day before as they made their way up. Over the dinner table the previous night a german had enquired if I was british. When I told him I was scottish he beamed widely and shook my hand. A long conversation about whiskies followed. I spotted him working hard as we made our way down. I slapped him on the back and offered some verbal encouragement. I told him the whisky would be waiting for him in chamonix after he returned from the summit. Julie also chatted to folk as we went down. We were cheery and buoyant and the air was getting thicker with oxygen as we dropped. At points we were almost running down the snow. I had long since run out of water so I was keen to get back to the gouter hut to stock up on fluids. The photo shows folk still making their way up.

Last look at the summit

We arrived on the summit just after 9am and half an hour had passed whilst we rested and snapped photos. Jonathan gave us the option to stay on at the summit a bit longer but we knew we had to get back down safely. The grande couloir would be thawing now and waking up as a result. The later we crossed it then the more dangerous it would be. We decided to start heading down in the next few minutes. I had my own quiet time to reflect on things and be inwardly emotive and philosophical before we left. My mother had inspired me to make this journey. I was pleased that I had made it for myself but also for her and all my family and friends back home. I waved to the sky as I had done on other peaks in case she was spectating. I knew that I probably wouldn't stand on this spot again so I knelt down on the high patch of snow once more and Julie snapped me as the highest person in europe at that moment one last time for prosterity.

Me and Julie on summit

I was lucky that I had someone like Julie on the climb with me. She was a happy and cheery soul. We did a good job of coaxing each other along during the whole trip. I was really pleased that she had made it up second time around. She said she wanted to batter fast frank for her bad experience the previous year. I reckon if we had saw him on the mountain then I would have helped her :-)

Not a cloud in the sky

Not a cloud to be seen in any direction from the summit. My barometer measured the air pressure readings from the summit automatically when I got there (the highest physics experiment in europe!). When I read them back later they showed that the oxygen pressure was 55% of the normal values found at sea level. Quite a difference. I was surprised it went down as low as that. It means that if you breathe at the same rate then you are basically working at around half your normal aerobic capacity. It's no wonder that some people suffer ill effects on their way to the summit. I think that if you are aerobically fit then it certainly makes a difference to how you cope with the reduced oxygen levels. Breathing deeply and maintaining a steady effort helps as well. I saw a few folk trying to blast for ten seconds then stop before doing the same again a short time later. They looked absolutely knackered. If you decide to come out here then get as fit as you can before your trip. Try to move as comfortably and economically as you can on the climb. A steady measured effort is what you want. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your days at altitude. Accept that some folk tolerate and adapt to altitude better than others even when they are very fit. I was very lucky in the respect that I really didn't really notice too much of a difference as I got higher up. No two people respond the same however so just bear it in mind.

View from mont blanc

Speactacular views to the aguille du midi. It was strange to be looking down on it. Last time I was there I was looking up to this spot on the summit.

Jonathan on the summit

Jonathan had some quiet time taking in the views. He pointed out a few other mountains for us including gran paradiso which was a back up climb for us in the event the weather had been too rough on mont blanc for us to make an attempt.

The summit surprise

...Yes..the ridge was definately flattening out. Jonathan had said 'we are on the final straight' around fifteen minutes ago but we were still walking and there had been no further announcements on how close we were. By now the ridge was very nearly level and we were approaching a small number of people. Was this the summit??? Jonathan turned round deadpan and without cracking a smile said "Well...You won't get any higher than this!". He started cackling out loud and we all erupted and grabbed each other in a three way group hug. We had arrived and the swine had tried to catch us by surprise and he had succeeded in doing just that. In the happy melee that followed I gave Jonathan another half hug / handshake and thanked him for getting us there. I remember he said 'very well done to you both' then he said 'you both did very well'. Julie got another hug and we congratulated each other whilst smiling the whole while. Jonathan sat and admired the view. He said that he had never seen conditions as good as this on the top of mont blanc. You could have sunbathed on the summit. I surveyed the panorama around us. They views were the best I had seen in my life. The usual summit photos followed and some high jinx with video clips as well. A few folk followed on at our back and celebrated by flopping down onto the snow. I made sure I found what I considered to be the highest part of the snowy ridge as I really wanted to make sure I had really stood on the true summit of the mountain. Silly I know.

Tunnocks booster

Tunnocks kindly agreed to provide some snacks for the climb so I munched through half a caramel log to steel myself for the final stretch. The summit was just over two hours away. Conditions were simply perfect. There was absolutely no wind at all. The sun was getting stronger all the while so we put on our suncream and glacier glasses. I knew that we just had to keep the head down for another few hours and we would make it. We were all in good spirits. We made off once more and saw a couple of teams really struggling at the vallot. One poor guy was taking a short pace before stopping to lean over his axe for a minute before taking another small pace again. We felt cheered by the fact that we still had good momentum. Other teams yielded readily and let us pass as we moved up the narrow bosses ridge. Julie shouted that we were passing the point where she turned around on her last attempt. The previous year her and her husband to be (Ian) found themselves being rushed up by an arrogant french guide that had earned the nickname 'fast frank'. This year was proving to be quite a different experience altogether. Jonathan was keen to keep a lid on any premature assumptions that the summit was nearly in the bag. We crossed one deep looking crevasse with a long run and jump each. The axe was plunged at the other side for insurance but we made it over no fuss. We passed over the bosses bumps and the ridge began to level ever so slightly with each step......

Approaching the vallot

We were approaching the vallot refuge before 7am. You can see it in the background behind me. The vallot is a basic emergency shelter and was built to be used as such. Over the years however it had been used as a doss house and toilet so it really was in a state. It looks like it has been cleaned up inside and there is now an eco toilet as well. I didn't venture in though. We stopped for a decent rest and some food. We could see the summit now and we all seemed to be holding up well. A few eastern europeans shuffled around behind us in what looked like moulded clay clogs. The mont blanc circus show was now beginning but the best acts would be saved for the grand finale.

Sunrise on the col

We were moving at a steady and measured pace. Our plodding was as steady as a slow metronome but we were passing a good number of climbers which was encouraging. I commented on the fact we were moving well together and mentioned to Julie that one of the squads we passed were labouring particularly badly to try and bolster our morale. I was feeling good. I had escaped ill effects so far but I was wondering if I was going to be struck down at some point as we got higher up. The sun now provided some spectacular views as the dome flattened out. We were now heading across the gouter col.

The gouter dome

At 2am we left the tete rousse hut. We were on our own. There was no wind and no cloud. The starry sky above us looked fantastic. Within ten minutes we were at the edge of the grande couloir. We listened for a few minutes and heard no rocks coming down the gulley. We knew how dangerous this place could be at the wrong time. At this hour however the couloir was unusually quiet..almost benign. All the loose rocks were frozen in place with the hard snow. We gathered ourselves and made a dash across. We were across in less than ten seconds but it felt much longer to me. We started up the gouter ridge. The next two hours would be proper hand on rock climbing. We all tried to help each other by pointing out hazards like ice, awkward steps or loose rocks as we spotted them. It was very quiet in the dark but we made a point of chatting to each other and encouraging each other as we went. In the black we were unable to see each others faces so we used our voices to reassure each other that we were managing and feeling ok. Within an hour we got a whiff of the gouter hut. It was rancid but at least we knew we were getting there. Another hour later and we were at the hut itself. We went in and untied. The place was quiet. Most folk had left for the summit two hours before. We got a drink and lay down for a bit. Julie was still feeling off colour. The state of the toilets did nothing to settle her stomach. After half an hour she was still lying in a semi foetal position so I was worried for her but she rallied big style and soon we were on our feet getting geared up once more. I thought that if we stayed here long enough then we would all be feeling rough with the musty stink of the place. Julie seemed to perk up once we got moving. As we headed up the gouter dome the sun started to come up. The thin line of torch lights up ahead began to diminish as the sun washed out the faint beams. It was now 5.30am.

A quick breather

We tried to conserve as much energy as possible en route to the tete rousse. We arrived in good time before having our evening meal. Julie and Jonathan were positively underwhelmed by their vegetarian meal option. We tried to get some sleep in the cho oyu dorm but it was practically impossible with folk shuffling around sorting gear and clothing all through the night. I think I managed to snatch less than half an hours worth of snoozing between 9pm and 1am. 1am has to be the earliest I have ever got up out of bed. At least we had a bed though. As we entered the dining area of the hut we were stepping over folk that were crashed out on the floor. Julie wasn't feeling great as we made our way to the breakfast table. She picked her way through breakfast. I did my best to coax her into eating as much as she could and offered her some painkillers from my first aid kit. Her sore head and feeling of sickness persisted as we got suited and booted up. Apparently she had been getting headaches on and off over the last three days. She had tried to be a real trooper however and play it down though. She had suffered pretty much in silence the whole time and only volunteered information about how she was feeling when I had asked her. Altitude was now meddling with the biological machinery.

Gouter ridge and couloir

I got my first look at the notorious grande couloir as we got closer to the hut. The couloir is prone to rock fall and avalanches. It has a really bad reputation. Many people get killed or injured here every year. Luckily for us it was holding a lot of snow and this would all freeze solid during the night. We were hoping the rocks would be held in place by the solid ice by the time we went to cross it in the dark. We climbed for two hours in the small hours of the morning up the rocky section on the right of the photo to reach the filthy gouter hut. You can see the hut at the top of the rocks on the right of the snowy gouter dome. Avoid staying here if you can. The cleaning lady never quite makes it above 12,000ft round this area and she certainly never makes it to the gouter hut.

The long and winding road

We chatted to a few climbers heading down from the mountain as we made our way up. A few had said that the winds above the vallot shelter on the final snow ridge had caused problems for a lot of people. A number of the climbers descending were looking pretty blasted and tired. The winds were due to drop however for the next day which was good news for us.