The next day, we wanted to go for a simple summit .. behind the hut was a rock peak - Besso - the book described it as a "Good training peak". It had two routes, a predominately rocky ridge and a snow route. The first was graded F and the second was PD+.As our first route, we chose to go for the easy one.. otherwise know as "ladies' route".. there were other parties going to the same place but we did not think to make use of their experience.
It took us a long time to get going in the morning, and we were not really in tune as we should have been. We took the moraine behind the hut up towards the col, we were very slow on the ascent, and by the time we reached where we believed the col to be we paused for coffee and snacks before descending to the glacier on the other side.At the foot of the S face we struggled to find the couloir, and ended up making our own way diagonally to the SE ridge. We were trying to move without pitching, but the (in)stability or the rock caused us to resort to it more than we had planned.
Climbing up the ridge was relatively easier, and we reached the top, as everyone else was leaving.. having spent a lot longer on the ascent than we had anticipated.
A long debate followed as we had some snacks and we decided to go back the way we had come, rather than the snow dome of Blanc de Moming. .. BIG MISTAKE .. descending the Ladies route, it was easier to find from the top than the bottom, but again we spent more time Pitching, as the sun melted the ice holding the rocks together. At the bottom the glacier was really soft, and we waded across to the rise to the ridge. Luckily the glacier was benign and there was no really crevasses, but we did not learn and would find out later in the week.
We eventually arrived back at the hut in time for supper, having taken longer to get back than to make the ascent.
However in later years I would look back on this day, and use it to educate other people.
