The next few days were set to be good weather, and in a peak of optimism we decided we should go for the first 4000m peak on skis ... Gran Paradiso. It was not far away form where we were in Chamonix... just a short trip through the tunnel and down the motorway.
An early start and we were motoring south. We arrived at Pont and the parking, where we left the car and prepared for the next stage.
The first part was along the valley before the track turned South and up the side of the valley.. the snow covering here was a little sparse and we had a couple of sections where we had to walk.
The initially wide zigzags became tighter and tighter until we were heading into a gully beside a couple of rock faces.This point was very sparse and there was no option but to take to the foot, with a decision to put crampons on or not.. The steps wee very treacherous and slippy, with wet rock and ice
On the plateau the cloud descended and we were wondering abut navigation, however there were plenty of tracks to follow (both up and down).
Gradually out of the mist we could see the classic arch shape of the Vittorio Emanuele hut sitting in the shadow of a rock band.a welcome sight as I was getting a little tired and in need of sustenance. Being an Italian hut the dormitories were small and we got a room to ourselves, so we could compete with each other for snorer of the trip in peace.