7–8 June: Katowice and the drive to Italy
For me the trip started a day earlier. I travelled to Katowice to pick up the vehicle in the morning and set off with the team. Still a civilian stage, but the expedition is already starting: documents, gear, contact with people, last checks and a head slowly switching into trip mode.
We picked up the van and packed the gear. By about 13:15 the van was loaded. Already at this stage an organisational mistake with the vehicle and the pick-up point came up and had to be fixed. So the problems began before we even saw the mountains.
Then we set off on a long drive through several countries. The goal was Pont in Italy, the starting point below Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II and Gran Paradiso.
9 June: Pont to Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II
From my watch: 5.8 km, 764 m up, 2 m down.
We reached Pont at about 5:20. After the rain we did not set off straight away. At about 7:30 we started the climb to Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II. It was the first mountain stage of the trip.
The climb took us about 2 hours and 44 minutes. The distance was about 5.8 km and the height gain about 760 m. We reached the hut at about 10:20, although check-in was later.
It was a calm day, but an important one. After a long journey the body gets its first effort, the rucksack starts to feel heavy and the group starts working together in the terrain.
10 June: Gran Paradiso
From my watch: 16.6 km, 1374 m up, 2134 m down.
We left for Gran Paradiso at 4:50. It was a long day: more than 1,300 m of climbing, a glacier, altitude and a demanding finish. We were on the final rocks at about 10:40 and on the summit at about 11:20.
Gran Paradiso was meant to be acclimatisation, but it is a proper four-thousander and a very good test. Mentally it gave me a lot too, because I saw that I was not the strongest in the group. It was not pleasant, but it was necessary.
After coming down we returned to Vittorio and then descended to Pont. We had a second night booked at the hut, but we decided to drive over to France. That gave us more flexibility before the French part.
11 June: Bellevue to Tête Rousse
From my watch: 8.0 km, 1399 m up, 36 m down.
The Tramway du Mont-Blanc was not running to the Nid d’Aigle at the time, so we took the Les Houches to Bellevue gondola. That made the climb longer straight away. We rode the gondola up at about 10:00 and then set off on foot towards Tête Rousse.
On the map this section looks simpler than it is. First a traverse towards Mont Lachat, then the area around the Tramway du Mont-Blanc tracks, a tunnel, the buildings near the Nid d’Aigle, the turn towards Tête Rousse, the first snow, rocks and a long climb. The app did not always lead the obvious way. We had to watch the terrain, the tracks and other people.
We reached Tête Rousse at about 16:16. From the terrace we could already see the Grand Couloir and the Goûter high above us. It was impressive: excitement, and at the same time the awareness that we would have to climb up there the next day.
12 June: Tête Rousse to the Goûter
From my watch: 3.2 km, 707 m up, 66 m down.
After breakfast we left Tête Rousse at about 7:01. First across snow and rocks, then up to the Grand Couloir. The crossing itself is short, but it sits in your head long before, because you read and hear so much about it.
After the couloir came the long climb on the rocks of the Aiguille du Goûter. There are steel cables and aids, but I would not treat it like a tourist via ferrata. It is high mountain terrain, with a rucksack, in crampons or with crampons on the pack, while tired and exposed.
We reached the Goûter at about 11:26. The hut made a huge impression. From there only one day was left to the summit.
13 June: summit day and back to the Goûter
From my watch: 15.8 km, 1722 m up, 1711 m down.
Breakfast at the Goûter was around 2:00. We left at about 3:03. It was dark; we walked as a team, with head torches, in crampons and with all our gear. The start looked good, but the wind gradually became a more and more important factor.
At about 5:38 we were at the Vallot. There the situation got more complicated. It was cold and windy, many teams were waiting or turning back. We waited too. That is where the decision was made.
In the end we moved on late, at about 9:00. I do not offer this as a model, it is simply how it went for us. The way along the Bosses ridge was mentally tough: exposure, wind, crevasses, teams coming from different directions and the awareness that any stumble could have serious consequences.
We reached the summit in waves, from about 11:33 to 12:28. For me it was a very emotional moment. But the summit is not the end of the route. After the photos you have to get down. We were back at the Goûter at about 15:50. Only then could we ease off a little.
14 June: the Goûter to Bellevue
From my watch: 10.4 km, 65 m up, 2089 m down.
The next day we descended from the Goûter to Bellevue. It was no formality after the summit, but a long and important day. First down the rocks of the Aiguille du Goûter, then the Grand Couloir, Tête Rousse, snow, rocks, the area around the Refuge des Rognes, the Tramway du Mont-Blanc tracks and on to Bellevue.
Around the couloir we heard falling rocks. Emotions ran high on the descent, because you are already tired and the terrain still demands concentration. At Tête Rousse we rested, picked up our things and moved on. The rucksacks were heavier, because we now had everything we had left there earlier.
On the descent there is one more problem: people above you. A rock can fall by itself, but it can also be knocked down by a team moving higher up. So in the couloir you have to look up too, watch what is happening above the crossing, listen for sounds and stay out of the fall line if things look bad.
15 June: the drive home
Finally the long drive back to Poland. I write more about it, and about sharing the driving, in the ebook.