Juri’s proposal comes at just the right time: “I’ve got a long free weekend—why don’t we go to Mont Blanc?” So the three of us set off with the plan of climbing the two classic Tacul routes and then making a nice (so to speak, with these packs…) descent to Chamonix, passing in front of the north face of the Grandes Jorasses. Everything starts off well, apart from a small issue adjusting my ski bindings. No big deal. Soon I catch up with Jacopo and Juri, who are heading toward the Tacul. There are quite a lot of people on the Gabarrou-Albinoni, so we opt for the nearby Modica-Noury, which is already being climbed by just one rope team. Everything goes smoothly until the final pitch, where Juri starts feeling a bit cold and tired, which quickly turns into a high fever. I run to the Torino Hut to let them know we are delayed and that we are all (more or less) fine. After about an hour, with great determination and encouraged by Jacopo, Juri manages to make it back to the hut, with the hope of doing something on Sunday after a day of rest. INFO: the goulotte is full of ice. The crux pitch is in excellent ice, very well featured, and does not present any particular difficulties.