Whenever I go to the mountains, whether in the Alps or the Himalayas, I come across those memorials of climbers who died attempting something. I always find myself getting emotionally affected thinking about what they were like. Who did they leave behind? How did their families move on? It’s normal for us to feel invincible when we hear about fatal stories that we start putting assumptions about. Maybe they did this or should’ve avoided that day, or perhaps they just pushed their limits, but in reality, things can quickly go south in a second, and our names can be on those memorials… We all shared the same passion for the mountains, yet that name engraved on a block of wood passed away pursuing dreams, and you are still living yours. This thought itself should humble us.

But man, this one hits hard! This Memoriam was placed at the entrance of the cosmiques hut for the fallen soldiers who died on the glacier during world war 2. As recreational climbers, we spend so much time, money, and energy on preparations to reach a specific summit, achieve a goal, or just for the sake of climbing. Yet, those soldiers were forced to be stationed on that glacier and confront each other to hold the front lines during the war. They didn’t go there willingly to enjoy their time.

Almost 80 years ago, they didn’t have the luxury of wearing high-tech mountaineering material like what we have nowadays! They had to endure the cold and harsh weather conditions without lightweight down jackets, future-light technology, or PrimaLoft. Weapons were heavier, malnutrition and sleep deprived under heavy artillery fire.

Always give yourself a moment to recollect how lucky and blessed you are when coming across such reminders.

We decided to hit the Pointe Lachenal traverse. It was a short hike across the glacier to reach our starting point.

This traverse is at the foot of the Mont Blanc du Tacul and is considered a mellow mixed climb. We wanted something less intense than the chèré to get the blood pumping and have an excuse to spend more time on the glacier.

Climbers who are attempting this traverse must have prerequisites in alpine terrain. There are some parts where we had to switch between hands and ice axes on the last bit of the climb.

The difficulty of this climb varies depending on weather conditions, and I was so lucky with the weather window I had for this trip which was sunny most of the time. Climbing a rock face with snow could get tricky, and if that snow melts, you get challenged with the underlying ice, but that day we only had rock.

The start was a snowy slope, then we traversed to the first peak, fired up the drone, and took my time flying it since the place had no one around!

I usually never think about getting drone stills. I am more of a video kind of guy, but this time I figured, why not get some shots and see how it goes?

In photography, you can get your exposure dialed in perfectly. Unlike videos where you’re stuck with the 180-degree shutter rule, exposure won’t always be on point on sunny days without an ND filter. The new Hybrid log-gamma preset comes in handy sometimes, but I wouldn't say I like its oversaturated look.

The Crux of this traverse was pretty challenging with its massive clean steep granites, but it was a good kind of challenge.

I had to constantly switch between hands and axe throughout that part of the climb, which gave me the true feeling of mixed alpine climbing, one axe is enough, but you should always have another clipped on you just in case.

Like the Chèré couloir, the angle of the climb doesn’t get enough sun exposure. Thus, it would be best if you were pretty quick in climbing and getting your body warmed up. I instantly felt the cold when I got in the shade and started climbing.

We got to the top in no time, chilled and posed for some shots, and had some snacks to refuel for the most challenging part of the day.

Going back up to the Midi station! Looking at how low the Col du Midi was compared to the lifts was just a dreadful sight. I knew the enormous steep snowy slope people were skiing off would be painful.

I always carry those energy gels from Precision Hydration for tough pushes, loaded up with a couple, so by the time I reach that slope, I’ll be already fuelled.

Let’s talk a little bit about John. I met him back in January 2020 when I contacted a company for an ice-climbing course, and John was one of our guides. After Covid and all the craziness, we had to endure, I returned to Chamonix again and resumed training.

John gave me a different perspective on training for the mountains and changed my mindset completely.

During this trip, we were climbing a multi-pitch icefall, and when I got to the anchor point, I remember him telling me you finally went from a Kuwaiti on vacation to an actual climber.

I consider him my mentor in alpinism. When I started this journey, my goals were to pursue prominent peaks, and I wasn’t thinking about what it takes to become a climber. His training approach humbled my drive for the mountains and made me rationalize how to approach my goals properly.

He’s not a social media climber/model or anything, and he doesn’t have 8000m summits under his belt or any of that fancy stuff, but I know for sure if he’s put against any of those famous “mountaineers,” he’ll smoke them easily.