315am wake up, breakfast at 345am, at 4am we are out the door with our headlights and off for the final leg of the climb: the refuge to the summit at 4065m It is a beautiful night, the half moon is extremely bright and we can see stars and mountains around.

We are one of the first group off so the pressure is on us to find the right way up the mountain as its seems that all the headlamps behind are slowly following us and relying on our route finding skills. That works pretty well all things considered.

3100m, snow line, we stop, gear up with crampons, ice axe, helmet and rope in. The light is getting brighter, we put the lamps away and we are off. Steep slope with bad snow, not cold enough to make it crisp and hard.

Another few hours go by, we reach the final face. It is steep and with many crevasses, navigation is now more important than ever. We finally reach the bergschrund, it is huge and ladders have been installed to go over it for the last few meters before the top which is rock climbing to the statue of the Virgin Mary.

Tricky section of mix climb with crampons on rock, not my preferred technique. we make it to the statue by climbing a ladder fixed in the rock, the summit platform is very small and 4-6 people only can stand at once and then you need to go down the other way, with the cliff under you. There are a few pitons in the rock to put your rope in, its a good feeling but a scary section. Xavier is cruising and not the least disturbed by the 1000m drop to our left side on a ledge 30cm wide.

The way down is pleasant, beautiful and smooth. The sun is now shining and warming us. We take a few nice shots and descend all the way to the refuge near Pont where we grab a nice lunch.

A long 11h59 of climbing and trekking today, but a real feeling of success summiting our first serious mountain without a guide and practicing our skills.