Culminating at 4,225 meters above sea level, the Castor rises on the border between Switzerland and Italy. In this black-and-white photograph, the Castor faces winter's fury with unalterable majesty. The winds howl around its summit, raising billows of snow that swirl in the harsh light.

The Castor seems to struggle and triumph at the same time. Its silhouette, sculpted by ice and snow, stands out against an almost unreal sky, as if the mountain itself were breathing in the rhythm of the storm. The sun's rays filter through the clouds, striking its edges with a silvery glow. Each brightening reveals the texture of its slopes, the curves reaching for the sky and the ruggedness of the wind-beaten flanks.

Le Castor is not just a summit to climb. It's a journey. Its famous ridge traverse, from the Klein Matterhorn to the Quintino Sella hut, offers one of the most elegant itineraries in the Alps. But on this particular day, the climb wasn't on the agenda: it was a silent tête-à-tête between the mountain and me, a passionate photographer of the Alps.

Photographing the Castor in such conditions remains a challenge. The cold bites, the wind unbalances, the light changes from one second to the next. Yet it is precisely in this unpredictability that the magic is born. The storm becomes an accomplice, sculpting the scene for a single, unique moment.

This portrait of the Castor is a tribute to the raw grandeur of the high mountains, to the beauty born of tumult, and to the humility we feel in the face of sovereign nature.