 | The day before the ascension, in mig-August, it snowed as far downas 2,500 meters. You can see Paris with her C|net cap just in front ofour hotel in Arolla. |
 | A view of the moutain (Pigne d'Arolla) we have decided to climb. Thisview was taken during one of our training hikes before the ascension. |
 | Another view of the Pigne d'Arolla. Elevation: 3,796 meters. |
 | To get an idea of how it feels on top of a moutain, we spent one dayin Zermatt and had a ride in cable car to the summit of the Klein Matterhorn(3,883 meters, highest and possibly most expensive cable car in the world).The last part of the trip was an elevator inside the moutain that broughtus to the top. Some of you may recognize my Alcatraz shirt. The view ofthe Breithorn was surperb. We didn't see the Matterhorn (it was hiddenin the clouds). However, we did see the eclipse. |
 | A magnificent sky with billions of stars and a sunrise at 3,130 meters.This was taken on the second day of our climbing, after a night spent ina moutain cabin. |
 | The first day, just before arriving at the cabin, I thought I was goingto die because of my heavy backpack full of climbing material. Here youcan see me at 5am, ready for the final stage in freezing temperatures,heavy winds, with a few sunburns. The day before, we heard an avalanchein the nearby glacier. |
 | Paris on top of Pigne d'Arolla, after painful but rewarding efforts.The view was dramatic: 360 degrees, we could see all the giants of theAlps, from Mont Blanc to Matterhorn and Jungfrau. |
 | My brother, me and Paris at the summit. The picture was taken by theguide we have hired for the ascencion. To get there, we had to jump overa few dangerous crevices more than 100 feet deep. At the summit, Parisand I got engaged. Back down in the valley, the guide treated us to oneof the best bottles of wine available. |
 | About 10 miles from Arolla, the Grande Dixence dam, one of the tallestin the world. We could see the lake from the summit. |