Guardian of the Heavens

Welcome to the fairytale kingdom of Dent Blanche. Queen of the Valais Alps, her snowy mantle watches over her court of rock lords. A universe of sharp peaks and enchanted ridges that make us dream of future ascents. In the foreground of this black-and-white photograph, Tsa de l'Ano emerges into the light, drawing us towards it. Its ridge leads us to the Pointes de Mourti and their hanging glacier. Our traverse then takes us to the Dent de Rosses and the Pointe de Bricola. All of a sudden, the Grand Cornier rises up, an impressive pyramid at 3961 metres above sea level between the Val d'Hérens and val d’Anniviers. It owes its tranquillity to the 39 metres separating it from the 4,000-metre peak so coveted by mountaineers the world over. It is then that she appears in the center of the picture, before our astonished eyes. The monstrous coquette pierces the clouds to reach the sky. In the distance, the famous mountains of Zermatt pay tribute to her: the Matterhorn, hidden on her right, and Breithorn on her left. The fog shrouds summits , highlighting its incredible beauty. Sumptuous Dent Blanche, how could I not love you!

I took this photograph of the mountain in the spring of 2020, just as the storm had broken over the Swiss Alps before evaporating at daybreak. I felt an urgent need to immortalize the striking grandeur of Dent Blanche. But to do so, I had to be there, in front of it, at that precise time of year when the sun illuminates the mountains in such a way. For the reliefs to align and the shots to link up. Guiding our gaze between light and shadow, along the peaks and up to Dent Blanche. Sovereign of a world shaped by nature, through the movement of tectonic plates and erosion. Guardian of a world that is changing faster and faster. I was lucky enough that morning to be able to paint a portrait of the immaculate mountains adorned with their last glaciers. But how much longer will we be able to admire them like this?