Frédy's duties at Sandoz changed with the move back to Switzerland. He returned to chemical research, and later, after his official retirement in 1965, he was a consultant to drug testing programs conducted in hospitals.

Back in their beloved Alps, Dorly and Frédy made up for all the years overseas. They invited friends over for a fondue to laugh over old times, and managed to get out almost every week of the year for climbing, sailing or skiing. They ascended most of the high summits in the Alps and were particularly fond of the Valais region (known among English-speaking mountaineers as the Pennine and Bernese Alps). Few of their old friends were in as fine physical form as they were, so the Marmillods usually climbed alone, often on less-travelled routes. To avoid weekend hordes, they climbed mid-week, especially after Frédy's retirement when he began working half-time. Later he worked less and climbed more.

Throughout their mountaineering career, the Marmillods never resorted to artificial aid. To do so, they felt, was equivalent to being dropped onto the summit by helicopter. Frédy always let on technical pitches, first up and last down. Although Dorly had enough experience to be a fine leader, she preferred to have Frédy lead.

The family teased Dorly about her habit of stocking all the huts in the Alps were plastic juice extractors. She and Frédy liked to flavor their tea with lemons, and she always carried an extractor in her rucksack. Whenever she slept at a hut she checked to see if there was an extractor on the premises. She placed dozens of them throughout the Alps and kept lists of the huts that still needed them. Whether they were useful to anyone besides themselves is difficult to say, but she enjoyed making this contribution to the comforts of others. The same goes for her ritual of making sure the hut was in better shape when she left it than when she arrived. The hut was spic and span, down to scrubbed floors, when the Marmillods departed.

At Frédy's insistence, Sandoz allowed him to live and work in the canton of Vaud while officially on the payroll of the Basel office. The Marmillods decided to settle permanently in Vaud, and in 1968 they had a house built for themselves in Féchy, a small village twenty kilometers west of Lausanne. The view was marvelous. In the foreground lay the picturesque village, population 300, and its church steeple. Beyond, Lake Geneva was visible almost in its entirety. They called their home Survigne, for it perched on a hill covered with vineyards. Each autumn the vineyards turned golden brown after yielding a fine variety of wine with an honorable reputation throughout Switzerland.

Survigne was conveniently located for sailing, rock climbing, and alpinism. Three of the daughters lived in nearby cities, and Frédy had only to step outside to tend his garden, a pastime that gave him increasing pleasure over the years.

Elvira stayed in Argentina when the Marmillods left South America, but she was not forgotten. When Christiane married in 1975, Mariette's present to her was arranging, secretly, for Elvira to attend the wedding. The reunion was an overwhelming emotional experience for everyone. Now known as Elvira Barrios Gondar, she is married with two children in Buenos Aires. She lives not far from Françoise Marmillod, who settled in Buenos Aires with her husband and little girl.

In 1974 Pakistan opened up the Karakoram for the first time in many years, an event that rekindled Frédy's interest in high-altitude mountaineering. One of his life-long dreams was to climb in the Himalaya, and the Baltoro seemed to him the most awesomely beautiful mountain valley on earth. He and Dorly joined forces with two friends, Dr. Daniel Bach and Romaine Ebener, and together they planned their lightweight expedition. They scoured maps for a good 6000-meter peak off the beaten track and found one in the Karfogang Group at the head of the Mustagh Glacier.

They arrived at Skardu in late June 1977. Due to a late departure from Switzerland and a series of setbacks and calamities, they never reached their original goal. By the time they arrived, warm weather had swelled rivers to flood stage – a common occurrence this time of year – washing away bridges and making jeep and foot travel difficult and hazardous. They had to wait a week while the bridge over the Indus River was repaired. Once past the Braldu River, their twenty-five porters made shorter stages than expected. Some of their food supply spoiled in the heat during these delays.

By the time they reached Liligo, it was obvious insufficient food remained to carry on to the head of the Mustagh Glacier. Base camp was placed at Liligo beneath their new objective, the west summit (6368 m) of the Urdukas.

The first night at base camp, the Marmillods erected their tent on what seemed like a perfect site, a bank of sand next to a stream. They awoke in the middle of the night to find their tent afloat! Blocks of ice had dammed the stream and changed its course. Luckily there was no harm done and they moved their tent to a safer spot. Unfortunately, high-altitude rations stored nearby were swept away by the torrent.

With the help of two porters, high camp was installed on the North Ridge of the Urdukas at 5000 meters, and the following day the climbers pushed on to 5900 meters. An exposed ridge guarded by large gendarmes separated them from the final snow pyramid. The final traverse would require hard work, another camp, and more food than was available. The group had to admit that they had lost their last opportunity to reach a summit in the Baltoro Basin. They turned round, disappointed, but grateful for the bonds of friendship that had grown strong among them through much adversity.

Dr. Daniel Bach recalls some of the Marmillod's contributions toward the expedition: Frédy organized the expedition with meticulous care. He was patient and firm in discussions with the prefect of Skardu over the reopening of the bridge on the Indus, and he was skillful in negotiating with the porters. Dorly came through every trial with graciousness and good humor. They were strong hikers, although Frédy suffered an attack of gout on the return march, brought on my heat and dehydration." [letter from Dr. Bach to author]