The drunken orgy of the night before did not stop the Guardian getting us up at 4 the next morning. It had stopped snowing so we thought we would take a look out. We did not fancy any breakfast somehow but just stuck on our crampons and set off. Another German couple, who had regarded the party with disgust, said, 'You make Carnival'. Quite. We staggered up the glacier, throwing up yellow gunge at intervals and soon realised that the snow was going to be Very Thick Indeed further on, so we turned right up Pyramide Vincent, instead of going on to the Lyskamm.

This did set us a new height record at 4215 metres and is a genuine four thousander so honour was satisfied. The view is blocked to the North by Monte Rosa proper but South and West, it is magnificent, with the Grand Paradiso and Mont Blanc visible. Honour was more than satisfied when we got back to the Hut. Wolfgang and Fritz were still lying on the washroom floor with water trickling over their square skulls. Rule Britannia!
After a meal, we walked down to Gressoney at 1624m, 2600 metres below Vincent. They were building an egg railway up the bottom bit. It was very hot and dry and Jane was suffering some of the effects of booze and altitude. I had stuffed our water bottle with snow, which helped a bit. The path ends at Staval, a bit more Walser dialect. We stayed in the Hotel Dufour which, true to its name, were only too happy to take Swiss Francs as we were short of Lire. I had pesto green tagliatelli for the first time as a starter. Italian pasta starters are supposed to squash appetite with a blunt instrument, I think. They fail with climbers. Gressoney is quite charming. We stayed two nights and explored the valley a bit.

The route goes on over the Colle Bettaforca, 2672m. This resembles Sty Head (in the Lake District) but is twice the size. They were building a chairlift to the pass as the skiing is being developed. This will benefit climbers as it cuts the slog to the Quintino Sella Hut but we found it a nuisance as it drizzled and the path had been cut up.

Skiers tend to ruin an area, so I would be grateful for an update on the conditions here. The other side, down to St Jacques at 1689m, is steeper and slightly south facing, so it had more flowers. We passed a Summer Village of shepherds called Resi above St Jacques which is only called San Giacomo on maps because of the now-obsolete policy of the Italian Government that everyone should learn Tuscan. This village nestles in a narrow valley and the drop from Resi is steeper.

There is a CAI hut but we felt like a proper hotel and again, were not disappointed. 'Would you like a Beeeg bed?', we were asked in halting English. Yes, please. We had learned 'Letto Matrimoniale' by then anyway. There is an orphanage sponsored by Olivetti in St Jacques.