I think that’s my favorite route in the Alps for many reasons. The Cosmiques Arete is a classic mixed alpine climbing route ranging from sharp ridgelines to incredible-looking towers and technical slabs. It starts from the Abri Simond Bivi hut all the way to the Midi cable station.

Although it is known for keeping climbers excited and happy, it requires mixed climbing and abseiling skills and being comfortable in rock climbing with crampons, especially for the crux slab.

The obvious way of getting there was taking the lifts up to the Aiguille du Midi from Chamonix, and from there, we geared up and descended to the Col du Midi, which was packed with skiers going down the same way. We headed towards the cosmiques hut, and from there, we started the ascend on an easy snow slope just next to the Bivi hut.

We reached the 1st tower and figured that would be a perfect spot to get some drone shots, John went up one of the towers, and I managed to get smooth orbiting footage regardless of the strong wind.

This ridge is famous and considered a hotspot for many climbers, helicopters flying by, and the Midi station, so I was cautious and swift in flying my drone when the area was clear.

It was a mix of abseiling, climbing slabs and hauling ass because of wind. It was getting really uncomfortable and cold.

At this point, I started getting this weird pain in my hind foot. So I was putting more effort into the left leg. It turned out that whenever I did a dorsiflexion movement, a stiff plastic part in my boot dug into my hindfoot, and the pain became unbearable with time.

And of course, I went to the Mammut store when I was done and told them about what happened, but they couldn’t help me out… They were like, email the company with the issue. But I decided to DIY the shit out of it, which did the trick.

Anyways, back to the climb. We found a good spot for lunch with a view and shared some French bread with that cute little guy. I shared this idea I had in mind with John about spending a month in Patagonia and doing Fitzroy and Cerro Torre group, and He told me you need to do more of this to consider going to Patagonia! They don’t have the luxury of getting on cable cars and climbing over there.

Every time I do something more challenging than what I have done before, it kind of changes my perspective in climbing! It humbles my mindset, Makes me have more reasonable goals before attempting more demanding projects.

Training on routes like the Cosmiques Arete consistently is vital for climbers wanting to become fast and efficient on such terrain. It will help with more significant climbs like the Matterhorn, the Eiger Mittellegi Ridge, and Patagonia.

At this point, we were dialed in and focused on the last bit of the ridge, from chimney-climbing gullies to vertical slabs. My body was exhausted, and the pain became severe, but I was enjoying every bit of the challenge this Arete had to offer!

Finally, we got to that snowy flat ledge which felt like a luxury after spending half a day on a thin ridgeline, and there was a narrow metal ladder going up a platform. I followed John up there to cross the fence, and there I was between tourists! And everyone was cheering us and taking photos of us!

People were keen on asking us questions like, where did you guys start from? How long did it take you to get here? Was it hard? It felt good having the spotlights for a little while.

On the way down, John and I were showing each other the shots we got during the climb, minding our own business, and a lady said sorry for bothering you guys, but can I ask you some questions? What made you decide to get up this morning and climb mountains? Why do you guys do it? I’ve been asked this question a lot by others and by myself. Why do I do it? I guess words will never be enough to answer that question.