This season has now become our most successful ever for numbers of guests reaching the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. Many people with less experience are opting for the two week Mont Blanc Achievements course, which is essentially an Alpine Intro course and a Mont Blanc course bolted together. In the first week people are introduced to crampon skills and it culminates with an ascent of Gran Paradiso 4061m in Italy. In the second week the focus is on Mont Blanc, and people on the two week course are well acclimatised so have four days for summit attempts. This photo is of Sally & Wayne, who did the Achievements course, on the summit of Mont Blanc at sunrise. The shadow of Mont Blanc is on the horizon to the left of Sally’s shoulder. Their smiles on the photo say it all – you get out what you put in. To really enjoy and appreciate an ascent of Mont Blanc, you should be as acclimatised as possible.