2:30 a.m. Wake up. Heavy snow. We go back to sleep with the intention of heading up to the Bivacco della Fourche in the morning, if the weather allows it. 8:00 p.m. It’s snowing. There are 16 of us in the bivouac. Sleeping is virtually impossible. 2:00 a.m. Tired of not sleeping, we get up and set off. Soon we catch up with a rope team of French climbers and pass them, breaking trail ahead. 6:00 a.m. We are on the shoulder of the Maudit. From here we start descending due to the very dangerous conditions on the way to the summit. Even the two French climbers, who had come up just behind us, give up on their plan to reach the summit of Mont Blanc: too dangerous. We hurry back down, and the slope—unstable due to wind-deposited snow—makes us move even faster. Fortunately, it’s a superficial avalanche and there are no consequences. A few minutes later, none other than Korra Pesce and Jeff Mercier arrive. Having abandoned their plan on the south face of the Maudit, they rushed up the Kuffner Ridge and very kindly take care of preparing the track for the descent. After crossing the Vallée Blanche, our fortress awaits us at the Col Flambeaux. There are practically no photos of the route—we climbed almost all of it in the dark—but I’ll add a few panoramas…