We reached just above the Vallot Hut in good conditions yesterday before running out of steam and a British party were evacuated from the hut by a PGHM helicopter rescue team. Today was a stunning and calmer summit day, but still cool. Many teams reached the summit. The meteo remains superb for tomorrow and another perfect summit day is on the cards.

Note that there is a new section of cable at the very base of the Gouter rock rib once the Grand Couloir has been crossed in ascent. This is a bit steeper and a bit further right than before meaning that the cables (and people on them!) are less exposed to rock fall from the Couloir. There was also a long climbing rope in-situ across the couloir fixed to some new bolts at either side of the couloir. This was quite a handy addition but will presumably not last that long before it is trashed by rockfall. Bring on the Grand Couloir tunnel!

After a rather 'driech' (Scottish for wet / grey / cloudy weather!) start conditions improved to a breezy but fine summit day (and the guides birthday!) with good conditions throughout the upper mountain. The Grand Couloir is getting a lot more mixed and the snow cover rapidly depleting. There were a number of rockfalls coming down the couloir by mid-afternoon, the time of our descent, however the soft snow was generally taking any momentum out of the rock fall and despite teams crossing coinciding with rocks falling no one seemed to get hit.

Good to see Owen & Tim (British Guides) on the Bosses Arete who had made a long, tough trail breaking ascent of the Pope route from the Italian Gonella Hut. Finishing with a descent to the Cosmiques gave a long high level traverse of the mountain. A number of teams made the ascent from the Col du Midi and reported reasonable conditions but, as ever, worrying seracs on the ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul.

Fine conditions for our Mont Blanc ascent yesterday. An early breakfast was taken and we left the Tette Rousse at 0200 as heavy thunderstorms were forecast as likely for the afternoon. There was a good track across the Grand Couloir and we took crampons off for the lower section of the Gouter Ridge before putting them back on for the upper section to the Hut.

The track above the Gouter Hut now goes well right on the initial open slopes of the Dome du Gouter North Flank Glacier. This is currently a good line as it avoids the very open crevassing further left. The slopes above and below the Vallot Hut were in good snowy shape with a decent track.

We turned around on the Bosses Ridge due to tired legs in the team and just made it back to the Bellevue Telecabine before the storm truly kicked in at about 1600. The descent from the Tette Rousse was made easier by taking the snow slopes close to the Bionassay Glacier rather than the normal path, still some half decent bum slides to be had!

Some teams made the ascent of Mont Blanc from the Cosmiques Hut with at least one team completing the traverse.

Joined by Swiss Alps based British Mountain Guide Paul 'Dobber' Wright, Rob and a team of 4 fit young London city bankers warmed up in tough windy, cloudy and snowy conditions on the Tour and Trient glaciers and mountain refuges. Against all odds and on a highly inclement forecast a tough trail breaking ascent was made of Mont Blanc. The team were all properly tired after this and although great fun, canyoning on the rest day was probably a 'bridge too far!'

The ascent of the Dom went well from the amazing applestrudel at the Dom Hut to fine conditions and a big mountain atmosphere on the Festigrat. The large amount of vertical height gain on this climb (the highest of any alpine mountain summit from the valley - no lifts here!) took its toll and instead of undertaking the grueling ascent of the Monte Rosa we returned to Chamonix for some 'Croissant and Café Alpinism'!

Good effort guys...but the first successful completion of the Mission remains for the taking. Who shall step forward?