In reply to nb:
> Nice one Jonny. Don't want to sound patronising but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security. Most people get away with dodginess a few times before it bites back. Probability always wins if you stick your neck out often enough.
Absolutely. I remember a nice anecdote about Papa New Guineans who were astonished that westerners that visited them were prepared to sleep in the forest, beneath the trees. They'd seen trees fall enough to know that although you'd probably get away with weeks or months of sleeping under them, you wouldn't for a lifetime. Ergo, they reasoned, don't sleep under them even once. Polished logic, if you ask me!
So as not to give a false impression, I retreated from the route high up after two nights in an empty Fourche bivouac and spending the intervening day watching and listening to rocks raining down from all sides in the Brenva and Maudit cirques, including two huge falls from the Androsace area. Perhaps it was reckless to do even half of the ridge, but we certainly had danger in mind when we turned back. We caught the cold night on Saturday (and got struck by lightning, but that's a story for another day) - and snow conditions all over were vastly improved. Another attempt might have to wait for September now.
Post edited at 15:50