We were not really sure how the day would pan out and the book just said to catch the drag lift ... when we checked yesterday there was no sign of it working.
We parked the van opposite the bottom of the lift, and were relieved to see another party get off the post bus and make their way over to the lift.
At about 9:30 a man appeared and went into the hut, everyone went over and paid 9 Swiss Francs, and then he started the poma up.Luckily the lift was not vicious and we got to the top without misshap .. I would not have wanted to fall off, as there would be no repeat run, as I was sure the operator would be gone by the time the drags got back to the bottom.
From the top we put the skins on and set off up the valley. The party in front set off at a fast pace we could not match and settled into our own steady rhythm.
As we got to an obvious junction in the valley, we could finally see the col up to the left. We cut over and followed the obvious path still following the other party.
We reached the top as the others had started to descend the other side, but after their initial speed had slowed down.
Up on the col we could see the hut over the other side of the glacier. I could not recall the view from the last time, nor any of the ascent which we had done in descent. I think I was so tired that it had all passed without notice.
Down the other side there was two flights of ladders, and an "extension", where the bottom ladder did not reach the glacier, of a builders ladder.
We went down slowly as the rungs were still freezing and everything was slippy.
Once down on the glacier the step looked even more impressive, as we traversed around trying to keep as much heigh as possible before cutting over the glacier to the hut.
The hut was pleasantly situated on the top of a promontory, but the sting in the tail was the final climb up to the hut.
There were a large number of people already at the hut ... they must have come from the Mont Fort variation, so we would be in the crowds tomorrow.
For now we could sit back and dry all the sweat out of our clothes. The veranda was a veritable drying rack with equipment all over the place.
We found a quiet corner to sit and eat lunch, and debate weather we should extend the day up the top behind the hut, but in the end the thought of the next two days won out and we stayed put.