Contamine-Grisolle, Triangle du Tacul

So we got the first Midi lift (well, that was the plan, bit late for the first!) up to the top... Geared up and joined the massive queue heading off down the arete

Heading for the Triangle du Tacul across the Vallee Blanche. Our planned route follows the almost obvious left edge.

Alison has now set off to cross the easy bergschrund and head somewhere upwards

Alison in a field of perfect neve to die for

Somewhere high on the first snow field

Look at the sun glistening off the neve - squeaky perfect

Off we go again

Alison hanging out

Entering the freezing shade

We're cold now - but must push on

Now Alison has ALL her clothes on, and is still cold, up we go...

Can you see the tiny people in the Vallee Blanche

:( ..... Eventually we got to a point where the strong gusting wind on the ridge and the freezing shade cold sent us mad.... So we decided to do what we had NOT planned to do - abseil the entire route on a single 50m rope! Obviously we were just retreating for practice...

Down climbing

Still down

Bottom - and quick , get to the sun

So we had a perfect plan - climb the route on a single rope, clean, light and fast... That would have been great, but the alps decided to have some weather!! Wind and cold of all things. So the single rope was awesome, until we decided to retreat and abseil off, so with some poor belays, it meant we ended up down climbing the whole thing! Obviously this was our plan in the first place - a perfect day for testing fitness and acclimatisation - of which I still haven't got any, will go shopping to get lots!