It’s one of the most wonderful surprises you can receive: a phone call that goes like this—“They’re forecasting four days of high pressure over Mont Blanc, and according to the Monzino hut keeper, the Innominata Ridge is in good condition. Shall we go?” So, after a big grocery run, I’m ready and pick up Mattia at Milano Centrale station. Once we arrive in Val Veny, thinking we’ll set off early, we realize it’s already past noon when we finally start walking (just the two of us, with brand-new boots we’ve never even used to walk 100 meters of elevation gain). The climb up to the Eccles bivouac is exhausting, all of it breaking trail. This doesn’t discourage us—especially not Mattia, who leads for about three quarters of the time. Once we arrive, we decide it’s better to stop for a day before the actual ascent, so we have time to scout the start of the ridge. After exploring the area, around 3:30 a.m. on the third day, we leave the bivouac and set off with determination. We move together on protected terrain and in no time we reach the middle slope, which completely drains me. The endless ridge of Mont Blanc de Courmayeur is still ahead, but with patience and method we find ourselves below the main summit. It’s only 10:30 a.m., and for this reason Mattia (also because we are in French territory) earns the nickname “TGV”. It’s a beautiful day and the summit is crowded. I’m tired and feel completely emptied out. Hoping to take a train, cable car, train, bus, and finally the car a bit further down, I’m quite shocked when we discover that all the lifts below the Goûter are closed… The way back will be an epic journey ending with hitchhiking and a bivouac in the parking lot of a stadium near Châtillon. I do not recommend eating or drinking at the Goûter, unless you have a secret crypto account in some tax haven.