Day 9: An amazing day out, -26C and the summit of Aiguille du Midi.

Well it seems that my regular sleeping pattern is back big time, another short 5 hours or so of sleep before getting up at 7am for breakfast. I'm actually beginning to get used to eating in the morning though, maybe I should try and keep it up since it is the most important meal of the day so I'm regularly told. Breakfast of champions today, cornflakes topped with coco pops and then 3, yes 3 croissants and yet another 3 cups of tea. I'm sure some people won't believe I managed to eat that much at such an early hour.

Lynette and I decided that as it was her day off and the weather was absolutely perfect, that we would hang out and head up to the top of Aiguille du Midi for some good views, good chat and a way to pass some time. So once we knew the top was open, we hit the street for a 10 minute walk to reach the cable car. It looked like quite a large queue but it moved so fast and before we knew it, we were at the very front of the first car watching as we were wizzed so quickly up to the first station at 2354m. What a difference in the temperature already. After taking in the view and grabbing a few price pictures, we head off to the next cable car that would traverse Les Pelerins glacier before rising up the North Face of the Midi to 3800m. Overall you have an altitude gain of over 2700m in 20 minutes... impressive stuff.

We then headed off for the summit and upon reaching the 3842m that is the top of the midi, the recorded temperature in the pretty strong 120km/h wind was -26C and in Lynette's words; was a trifle fresh. Within a few seconds of having my gloves off to capture the outstanding views, my fingers were freezing cold and my toes, even in my mountaineering boots with 2 pairs of socks could feel it. My phone camera decided that it was too cold to continue working and I was sure I got a little bit of brain freeze. As you can imagine we didn't stay n the summit for too long before we retreated and headed back down to the museum of elite alpinists. It was certainly nice to get some feeling back in my fingers as I basked in the videos and info of all the amazing feats of mountaineering of the past and present. It's amazing to be surrounded by it all, it really does inspire and motivate me to work hard and push the limits of my dreams. Never giving up is the right mentality.

What a fantastic day out I had, not just for the summit of the Midi but for the amazing company that is Lynette, she truly is an awesome person and someone that I am so glad I met in such an amazing place.

For my very last night in Chamonix, I had dinner with the guys again, enjoyed their stories of their day and then randomly bumped into Dave, one of the guys I met in one the ice in Cogne. It really is a small world at times. We all had a drink in the bar and then Simon joined us and after the hotel bar was closed, some of the staff, Dave, Simon and myself all went out into Chamonix Sud to have a drink in a bar called the Jekyll where we drank some beer, played a game that would never be permitted in a central Scotland bar... You hammer a nail into a tree trunk and the loser (the last one to get the nail all the way in) buys the shots. Genius really. I'm so glad I had a week of ice climbing to prepare for this game, my precision was so good that I managed to kick some serious butt... Something to be proud of I reckon. What a great place! Chris, the owner was just brilliant. Good music choices, everyone knows how much that impresses me. So we got our dancing on before finally having to leave 2am. Thank goodness I packed earlier otherwise I'd have to get up super early in the morning.

I definitely had a wonderful time this whole trip and tonight was just a perfect finish. Good memories and new friends to cherish for a long time. I look forward to the day where we meet again.

S xx

Day 4: Pista per pedoni e Cascatisti, 5 pitch Patri and the intro to ice bruising.

Got up this morning feeling a little stiff but nothing a stretch and a walk to some ice won't cure. Met everyone at breakfast and we decided that we would go climb a 5 pitch route called Patri which would also involve a little abseiling from the top. No problem I thought, that sounds like a brilliant way to end the day.

Off we set, Ben and I with our 20 tonne backpacks and Andy looking as chilled as always, on our 1 hour "gentle wander" to the bottom of the 1st pitch along the pista per pedoni e cascatisti. We eventually get to the start of the route and we see for ourselves the magnificence of Patri. It looked amazing. So out of the backpack comes all of the kit and that makes the world of difference to the weight which is basically good because for the 1st 3 pitches we have to carry the packs up with us... Damn is my thought.

The 1st pitch is long, pleasant but tricky until the last couple placements when everything is a bit wet. I get totally soaked but somehow I don't mind. Maybe it's because I'm used to it with the typical Scottish climate. Near the end of the pitch, an Italian gentleman appears so quickly behind me but instead of feeling pressure from him, he totally puts me at ease, makes me smile and helps me get through the crux move at the top. What a lovely guy.

2nd pitch introduces me to the art of ice avoidance, massive pieces come flying at me from above, I get hit on the shins twice and the helmet takes another 2 hits. That's going to hurt in the morning I think.

3rd pitch is a nice short one, very pleasant and with a nice snowy slope to finish. The joyous thing about that is that from now we get to leave our packs at the bottom for the next two pitches as we will abseil from the top. Easy peasy I thought. So we have a bit of lunch, a drink of whatever our flask filler of choice is. It will be no surprise to those who know me that it was Hot blackcurrant for me as always.

Pitch 4 feels so much quicker due to the weight difference when not carrying a pack. It's also a lot easier to look around you and see footholds without being hit on the back of the head with your pack. With some slushy ice and some lovely solid axe placements, this pitch was my favourite of the day. A nice finish on a little ledge kept me safe until I can start the final section.

The final pitch, a very pleasant climb around an ice corner and then up to a thin section of ice through a narrow gully with a little bit of mixed climbing. A very nice climb with a lot of new technique thrown in. Once at the top, the next thing was to get back down, a little short (approx 50m) abseil. Coming down at the start was good until I emerged from the enclosed rock and saw the whole world open up below me. I felt more than a little exposed at that moment but as it was the only way down, there really was not much choice. So I slowly made my way down to the bottom and once on solid ground again, I felt safe. What a fantastic feeling.

All that was left was the long walk back to our accommodation. I won't lie and say that it was as easy as the walk in, it wasn't. Even though it was the same route, it felt twice as long and twice as hard. I can see why people get injured on the descent from big mountain days, the concentration is gone, the footwork is always a little more wobbly but finally, it comes to an end and I'm back in the bar with a cup of tea... Time to celebrate the day and prepare to do it all again tomorrow.

S xx

Day 3: Mont Blanc tunnel, Cascate Di Lillaz and creation of Team extreme

Woke up to some fantastic snowy scenes in Chamonix today which just cemented our decision to go to Italy to climb instead. A not to early start today, breakfast at 7.30 and meeting in the lounge for the day ahead at 8.30am. We drove into Chamonix centre to pick up a few things first, climbing boots and other necessities like snacks and stuff. Brioche for me... Yum yum. Then off we went in the van, heading for the Mont Blanc tunnel, again another thing I was really excited about getting to do. that's the thing with tunnels though, even ones as awesome as this one, after 5 minutes, it gets a bit boring and you just want to see the other side. Eventually we emerge from the tunnel and were greeted by such an awesome view of the gnarley face of Mont Blanc. It looks as impressive as I imagined it would.

After about 90 minutes driving we arrive in Cogne, kit up and walk on up to Cascate Di Lillaz where we 3, Andy, Ben and I become Cascatisti (ice climbers). We arrive at the base of the climbs and Andy takes up through all the stuff we need to know and gives us some time to practise with one of my favourite tasks in climbing... Traversing. Then we move off to the real climbs and Andy dos the honours by leading the route and setting up a top rope for Ben and I to have a practise on. The 1st climb was a little tricky and a bit scary at parts but its good to get that adrenaline going and before I knew it, I was on the route for a 2nd time, feeling more confident and sure of my placements.

Then we moved on to something a tad more exciting and a lot longer, eventually climbing into the sunshine. At first it was a little tricky with lots of high axe placements but then it became a joy to just be swinging and kicking and hearing the best noise as the axe makes a solid placement 1st time... Thunk.

The last route of the day was a grade 3 with a walk off the top to finish. I'm last up the route, feeling totally alone and a little unsure, I take my time and work out the most efficient way I can to get around the hard bits, removing the screws as I go and making sure I take advantage of any good rests I can find. Finally I arrive at the top with a giant smile... I survived my first day. love it!!!

A short drive takes up to Valnontey where our accommodation is, hotel la Barme. A charming little place, in a valley about 1700m above sea level. We get our rooms sorted, have a drive in the bar before filling our bellies with a monster dinner which I found impossible to finish. We then decided to have a wee chit chat and relax in the bar but everyone was starting to get really tired. So completely out if character for me, I headed to bed early. Packed my bag for the morning and curled up in my bed. Most people won't believe me when I say this but The last time I saw before I passed out was 10.50pm. I think I passed out shortly after. Probably the earliest I have fell asleep for years without being ill... The sign of a good day and taking in the rest for another one tomorrow. Indeed!

S xx

Day 2: Chamonix centre, Chamonix Sud, hot chocolate and a change of plans

Exploring solo day for me today. Went to breakfast and got speaking to one of the members of staff, Lynette. She gave me some mountain information and some hints and tips for the area. Lovely girl who made me feel really at home.

I decided to go for a wander around Chamonix Sud to check out the cable cars and costs of ascending Aiguille Du Midi which is directly across from the lodge and to check out whether or not I would have time today to make my journey to the top. I was informed to allow at least 3.30 - 4hours so I decided I would do that on my 1st rest day after my weeks ice adventures. After making my final decision, I walked into Chamonix centre to see some shops and sights and find my way around. After a few hours wandering around, I decided to head back to the lodge to get a bit of rest before meeting the people from the course. About 10 minutes after I returned to the lodge, I bumped into Simon who asked me if I wanted to go for a coffee so of course I had to say yes. We walked back into the centre and went to a place called elevation which is quite popular with skiers and snowboarders coming off the hill and by the taste of the hot chocolate, I could tell why it was liked so much.

Back at the lodge, I met up with Andy, our guide and Ben the only other person on the course for a drink and a chat in the bar before dinner. We got our gear for the week sorted and talked through our plan for the week. The original plan was a few days climbing in Chamonix and a few days in cogne however, the conditions in the French alps this week are not that great and some of the routes are at risk if avalanche so Andy decided that we would just go to cogne and climb there for the entire week. Not a problem for me, I'm happy anywhere.

After dinner we arranged to meet in the morning and we all headed off to pack and get some rest for the day ahead. Tomorrow we head though the Mont Blanc tunnel to Italy and then on to Cogne... How exciting... Bring it on I say.

S xx