Alpine heat: start early, be down by two

Valleys around Chamonix and Zermatt push past 26 degrees this weekend, and the first afternoon showers return on Sunday. Classic August pattern. Warm, still mornings give way to building cloud by early afternoon, so start at dawn and aim to be off exposed ridges by two. At 1,600 metres it is still only 13 degrees at first light, which makes a light shell worth carrying even when breakfast looks settled.