Classic route: Chris Bonington, Yan Clough, Jan Duglosz, Don Whillans 27-29 August 1961

At the beginning of October the guiding activity becomes calm however there it's still summer this season. It was our wish to climb Freney for a long time, but it's very difficult to be available during summer season. The warm temperature of the end of this September make this target feasable despite it's geginning of October. It's one of advantage of global warming! We decide to take -30 C sleeping bag in case we'd have to do bivouac. It's eavy but we don't want to have any pressure regarding timing.

I have nothing special to do this evening, I decide already go to Monzino. It's a real pleasure to walk with full moon. We decide to meet in Monzino with Vincent and Julien in order to go together to Eccles. Vincent came with the last weather forecast which is not so good for the next day. We decide anyway go to Eccles. Fortunaltly at the end of the day weather forecast is much better except some medium wind in altitude. At the bivouac a german rope party is already here. We already made acquainted in Monzino. We decide to wake up one hour after them at 4:00 because they don't have equipment for bivouac. Sunrise is at 7:00 am in the morning and we consider it would be probably enough to reach the top of Chandelle before the night. Nobody did the approach before we decide to climb the Eccles point and to rappel down first to col Eccles and then to glacier du Freney. Our fear that the rimaye would be difficult to cross at the end of this warm and dry summer was not true.

The heavy bagpack and the altitude make the climb not so easy. We are able to reach the Chandelle early enough to climb it before the night. Unfortunaltly there is no sun anymore and the temperature of October in the shade drop very quickly at more than 4500 m. It was not very confortable to climb with sports climbing shoes! We are all very happy to reach the top of the Chandelle and put mountaineering shoes on again as well as jacket, head lamp and gloves. We climb something like six pitch to reach Brouillard reach of course the very hard snow is helps a lot. The Mont Blanc summit is not to far less than 2 hours. We planned to reach Cosmique refuge because neither Gouter refuge nor Nid d'aigle train are closed last week. And we were not ready to walk until les Houches. When we arrive to Les Cosmiques  Mont Blanc summiter are surprised to see us drinking a beer so early while they were having breakfast.

Vincent Caty, Julien Godin, Stéphane Sevino