(29.04.2004) new!
According the information we've got, Patrick Berhault, 47 years old climber, has died after cornice falling on Taschhorn, (4491m). It is a mountain in Switzerland, in a spur extending to the north from the main ridge, in area of the resort small town of Zermatt.
On Wednesday, on April, 28, Patrick and Phillip left the camp Mischabeljosh (3.851m). This day they planed to summit 4 tops: Taeschhorn (4.491 m), Dom (4.545 m), Lenzspitze (4.294 m) and Nadelhorn (4.327 m). His dead body was found on Thursday, April, 29 2004, at the altitude of 3800m. On the preliminary information at 11.20 a.m. at 4400m a cornice collapsed and Patrick fell down over 600m. Unfortunately, he was not roped up with his partner Philippe Magnin as the cornice was seem not difficult to them.
It was their 66th "four-thousand" mountain, from 82 in the Alps, which they were going to summit for 82 days.

(23.04.2004)
Monday, on April, 19 55/82/
Zermatt (1616m)

Tuesday, on April, 20 55/82.
Zermatt (1616m) - Refuge de Schonbiel (2694m)
At last, weather forecasters promise a lot of sun! The plan: to reach col Durand, then to descend to spend the night at cabane du Mountet, and the next day to try to ascend Ober Gabelhorn, and then to descend to Refuge de Schonbiel. Note: Not to forget: sunglasses and a sunblock lotion!

Wednesday, on April, 21 56/82.
Dent Blanche (4357m).
The sun is out… At 8.45 a.m. Patrick answers my ritual greeting (identical within the last fifty days): "Where you are?" I am surprised! I imagined them on Ober Gabelhorn, but they summited Dent Blanche (4357m)… Ober Gabelhorn is postponed for tomorrow.

Thursday, on April, 22 57/82.
Ober Gabelhorn (4063m)

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/

(6.04.2004)
For 31 day of March the two-men team Patrick Berhault - Philippe Magnin has summited 31 "four-thousand" mountains.
For the first days of April they are planning going from Italy to the well-known Swiss hotel - hut des Glaciers, and ascending then to the hut la cabane de Valsorey, located above de Bourg Saint-Pierre. The weather pleases, and the program is rather sated. " But, - as Patrick notes, - it is not necessary to run day after day, up to the hut the difference of altitude is 3000m".

On April, 2, Friday
As it was planned, on Thursday in the evening Patrick and Phillip spent the night at the hut la cabane de Valsorey: the exhausting ascent up to this hut is known for numerous "caravans" of enthusiasts, being covered in sweat at the stage Chamonix-Zermatt. Then they spent a long evening in company with Rivella (soda, so popular in Switzerland, as well as Cola), woke up early at 2.00 a.m. and left at 3.00 in a direction of Combin. They made their start on the big slope via the classical "Haute-route", leading them to the Plateau du Couloir, where is stationary bivouac settled at 3664 m - a wonderful place to leave skis and ascend the tops of Grand Combin: Combin de Valsorey (4184 m), Combin de Grafeneire (4317 m) and Combin de Tsessette (4141 m). At 10 o'clock this stage was completed. Despite of a strong gusty wind, the weather at the top was quite tolerable. But Mont Blanc stands, shrouded in a cap of clouds, and it means that the bad weather is not far off.
The evening came to the end in a hut cabane Chanrion, next to a place of start their following "big walk": Couronne Imperiale, huge traverse, bending around Zermatt and numbering 30 summits higher than 4000 meters. For the first time this improbable route was done in 1986 by Swisses Erhard Loretan and Andre Georges.

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/

(1.04.2004)
Monday, on March, 29 2004
Val Ferret -Grande Joras via rochers du Reposoir, traverse of Jorasses in the following order: Pointe Elena (4045 m), Pointe Margherita (4065 m), re-pointe Elena, Pointe Croz (4110 m) , Pointe Whymper (4184 m), PointeWalker (4208 m), returning to Boccalatte hut.

Tuesday, on March, 30
31/82. The program on Mont Blanc massif is executed. Head for Valais! Having summited the 31st top from 82 mountain planned Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin finished ascending in Mont Blanc massif. At 8.20 Patrick called. He and Phillip were in Boccalatte hut. With a quiet little bit tired voice he said: "What a wonderful day was yesterday!" and smiled

(30.03.2004)
March, 29
26/82. Val Ferret - hut Boccalatte

On Weekend, March, 27-28
26/82. Patrick made solo le Verte (4122m) and then teamed up with Didier Angeloz they scaled the Grande Rocheuse (4102m) and l'Aiguille du Jardin (4035m). Philippe descended to Chamonix for a couple of days to have a rest.

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/

(30.03.2004)
Friday, March, 26
The hut Torino (3322m) – bivouac Canzio (3825m) via Dent du Geant (4013m), Aiguille (4001m) and Dome de Rochefort (4015m)

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/

(23.03.2004)
Friday, March, 19
Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248m) par les Aiguilles du Diable (Corne du Diable 4064m, pointe Chaubert 4074m, pointe Mediane 4097m, pointe Carmen 4109m, l'Isolee 4114m), started from the hut Cosmiques.
Monday, March, 22
Aiguille du midi Chamonix by cable-way. Happy birthday Philippe!

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/

(19.03.2004)
Wednesday, March, 17
Bivouac Eccles – hut Gouter via mont Brouillard (4068m), Baretti (4006m), Louis Amedee (4470m), mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4765m), mont Blanc (4810m) and dome du Gouter (4304m)

Thursday, March, 18
Hut Gouter – hut Cosmiques via aiguille de Bionnassay (4052m), mont Maudit (4465m) and mont Blanc du Tacul (4248m)

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/, http://www.weltderberge.de/

(18.03.2004)
My phone rings! It's the guys! Patrick and Phillip woke up early this night at 2.30 and at about four o'clock in the morning they left in a direction of Emile Rey (4068m) pass in hope to rush by it (and the main thing, by its rockfalls attending the ascent) before the day's beginning. From there they started climbing Brouillard (4068m) - their first today's "4-thousand" mountain via the posh mixed ridge...
Then they are going on the movement on the ridge up to summit of Baretti (4006m), their today's second "4-tousand" mountain. " It's a very beautiful, pyramidal top, with own charisma. Is a pity, that it is a little far," - Patrick comments.
After Baretti Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin are going to descend to Emile Rey pass again to head for their third "4-tousand" mountain of this day - Louis Amedee (4470m). Then they plan to make their trip further on the ridge to the fourth summit - Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4765m), and, at last, at 17.20 the prospect to Mont Blanc (4810m) will be open, where a surprise on behalf of Eric Magnin, Marco Gaiani and Bug will expects them.
"The weather rings, the life is tremendously simple. We are in the good shape, but the day like today's is a little longish..."
But it will not be the end yet - in the evening, descending to the hut, they are going to summit the sixth "4-tousand" mountain of this day - Dome du Gouter (4304m). Thus, by this night 11 "4-tousand" mountains will be in their pocket.

Photo courtesy of http://www.club4000.it/, http://www.weltderberge.de/

(18.03.2004)
Tuesday, on March, 16 2004, 13.36 Patrick calls:
-Jean-Mi, could you look at the UIAA list to make clearer if there is the second "4-thousand" mountain on Blanche de Peuterey?
- I wonder what for?
- We are at the top and ask the question: if we can look for the other, more distant peak? It seems a pretty beginning.
I look at a list of official "4-thousand" mountains and understand that they probably asked about Gouter dome. Well, the guys are in the excellent shape.
They left Eccles (3850m) about 6.15 in the morning, then descended on Peuterey pass (3934m) for the following ascent on Grand Pilier d'Angle (4243m). Mixed climbing led them to a very delicate ridge and forced them to change the direction to leave for the right top.
Then they descended Grand Pilier d'Angle and again made their way up to Peuterey pass. From there the guys went directly to Blanche de Peuterey (4112m) and summited at 13.30.
As to the weather, it is remarkable. It is so warm, that "We stay in t-shorts", - Berhault says. We can hear Magnin's comments: "but with long sleeves!" As for their shape: "I sleep somewhere inside", - Phillip laughs. It remained only to descend from Eccles to them. And Patrick makes the last clarification: "I quite forgot to tell: we have climbed about 2500m difference of altitude in total!"

(12.03.2004)
79 to climb left. Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin: Grand Paradis
On Thursday, March, 11, Patrick and Phillip summited the third "4-thousand" - Grand Paradis. They had to get up early, as to be exact at three o'clock in the morning, to catch a weather window. As weather forecasters promised it will hold on since about 9 a.m. up to 3 p.m. At about 4 a.m. Patrick and Phillip, accompanied with Eric Magnin and Marco Gaiani left their temporary shelter on Pont. Snow and a dense fog accompanied with them up to Victor Emmanuel's hut, and, at last, some clearing in the sky appeared. In three hundred meters up to the top, they had to take off skis and to put on crampons to ascend the ice pitch. Some heavy clouds, a temperate frost for the Ecrins (-15Ñ) and full calm joined the climbers. And by 11 a.m. the four successfully summited. While descending the weather and the condition of snow resolutely improved. At 3 p.m. the guys came back "home", to Pont.

Photo courtesy of http://www.chamonixmountainguide.com

(9.03.2004)
Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin. The bad weather brings own corrections
The bad weather in the Alps has brought own corrections to Patrick Berhault's and Philippe Magnin's plan. A strong snowfall in area Pralognan (a fresh snow cover has reached more than 60cm for last 24 hours), bad visibility and the sky tightened by clouds at all have forced the climbers to take a small time-out. Yesterday our friends left their rucksacks on the pass and descended to Gliere valley to pass away the night in a small private hut Barmette (2010m) going and at dawn to take their trip forward in direction Val Isere - Esperons, if the weather allow (the backlog from the schedule makes 48 hours).

The tour in 82 days of the 82 4000m peaks:
1 - 3 March Ecrins (3 days)
4 - 7 March Raccord Ecrins/Gran Paradiso (4 days)
8 - 9 March Gran Paradiso (2 days)
10 - 13 March Raccord Grand Paradis/Monte Bianco (4 days)
14 - 23 March Mont Blanc (10 days)
24 - 26 March Raccord Monte Blanc/Valais (3 days)
27 March - 20 April Valais (25 days)
21 - 23 April Raccord Valais/Oberland (3 days)
24 April - 8 May Oberland (15 days)
9 - 18 May Raccord Oberland/Bernina (10 days)
19 - 21 May Bernina (3 days)
Total: 82 days

(4.03.2004)
Having just descended from Ecrins Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin have already moved forward to the refuge du Thabor, in a direction to Grand Paradis (4061m).
They spent the last night in Casset visiting their old friend at Eric Loizeau, who took part in the Patrick's successful expedition to Everest last spring.

Photo courtesy of www.pardoes.com

(3.03.2004)
Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin. Marathon: 82 "4-thousand" mountains in the Alps for 82 days is started!
Yesterday 47-year old Patrick Berhault and 39-year old Philippe Magnin started realization of their brilliant idea - 82 "4-thousand" mountains in the Alps for 82 days. The Marathon began: Barre des Ecrins, 4103m and the Le Dome, 4015m have already summited.
In 2003 Patrick and Phillipe made 16 winter ascents on the most complex routes of Mont Blanc massif (Crystal FFME-2003). Patrick Berhault have remained for a long time for the "Soviet" public in a shadow of his partner - Patrick Edlindger. In 2000-2001 Berhault spent five months in the Alpes. Having started from Slovenia, he summited 22 mountains climbing via difficult rocky routes for 167 days.
He climbed 141683m heights in total, 22280m from them- wall climbing. In February 2001 Patrick finished in Menton (France). Doing that he tried to prove that you do not have to go to the Himalayas to take pleasure climbing in mountains.

(25.02.2004)
Patrick Berhault's new project: 82 "4-thousand" mountains in the Alps for 82 days
Patrick Berhault in the company with Philippe Magnin start the Marathon of the distance - 82 summits higher than 4000m in the Alps for 82 days- in the beginning of March.