While guide Michael Powers and climber Steve Santel were dealing with a spate of bad weather in Switzerland (see previous Alps dispatch), gyude Tim Connelly and climbers David Janke and Spencer Janke (Sandy, UT) were dealing with the same storm in the French Alps. Here's Tim's dispatch:

With a poor weather forecast, the Jenke's trip definately started under heavy clouds of trepidation.

None-the-less, we rode the tram to the Aiguille de Midi right into the thick of it. Off across the head of the Vallée Blanche, through ever solidifying clouds, to the base of Lachenal and just as we crossed the bergshrund the first clap of thunder smacked us down.

Prudence helped retrace our steps somewhat, but perseverence brought us around to the other summit, and in between waves of storms we quickly ascended through crevasses and snow-laden slopes to reach our first summit of the trip of Lachenal at 12,300 feet. Sensing the electrical build up we made for lower ground rather briskly.

We spent that night at the Cosmique hut, one of my favourites, where its elevation of 11,000 feet-ish helped get us on the acclimitization program. Great food, great hut keepers, and very few people to crowd the building.

Next day the weather was horrendous and the hour journey back to the top on the Midi actually took us two-and-a-half hours, wading through snow and literaly battling wind and driving snow. I could not see inches in front of my face, and as we ascended the final knife-edge ridge, I had to contstantly sweep ahead with my ice axe to make sure we were not to close to the edge while still wading through snow up to my thighs. High adventure. As soon as we broke the ice encrusting our faces, I could see that all of us were grinning madly at where we found ourselves.

Back to Chamonix for some rest and fueling up and on to Mt Blanc ... weather permiting.