Ascension Chronicles

Climbing the snowy face of a colossal mountain. Braving verticality, high altitude and unpredictability. Overcoming my fears and incessant doubts to finally reach summit in the Alps. I'd been dreaming of such an adventure for so many years! Today, I'm about to climb the north face of the Lenzspitze. I'm taking up the challenge with my heart pounding, at an altitude of over 4000 m in the Swiss Valais. Crossing the Lenzspitze at the Nadelhorn: Starting from the Mischabelhütte In the early summer of 2024, fine weather is scarce in the high mountains. And yet it's the weather that's guiding our ...

June 2024. I'm about to reach summit on the Aletschhorn. Mother of the Aletschgletscher, Europe's largest glacier, this titanic mountain stands alone in the heart of eternal snow. I've been thinking about crossing the Aletschhorn for so long. But now it's time to go to bernese alps and make this dream come true. Crossing the Aletschhorn: Prelude to a trip to bernese alps It all began several years ago with a call from Vivian Bruchez. He had just crossed the Aletschhorn from west to east, and wanted to illustrate his expedition with one of ...

May 11, 2024. The last stage of our expedition at over 4,000 meters in the bernese alps. Accompanied by my guide Johann Filliez, I have already climbed the Grosses and Hinteres Fiescherhorn as well as the Finsteraarhorn in the previous days. Today we're getting ready to ski up the Grosses Grünhorn, an unassuming yet magnificent mountain that I can't wait to discover. At summit des bernese alps : a night at the Konkordiahütte It was a short night at the Konkordiahütte. The hut is authentic and welcomes us in vast dormitories. On the floor, one mattress follows another...

May 10, 2024. Second stage of an exceptional adventure to meet the highest summits of bernese alps. Yesterday, I climbed the Grosses and Hinteres-Fiescherhorn with my guide, Johann Filliez. Today, we'll be conquering the heights of the Finsteraarhorn on skis. Dominating the surrounding mountains, it rises to an altitude of 4274 metres, on the border between the Valais Alps and the canton of Bern. I've photographed this gigantic pyramid so many times. So many times its beauty has pierced my heart. What a joy it is, then, to be able at last to slide down its flanks, climb its crests and reach ...

In the spring of 2024, the furious winds give nothing away to the high mountains. They cover it night and day with thick, fickle snow, sweeping away our dreams of conquest. Until the dawn of May 8th, when a truce is announced. A fleeting but long-awaited break in the weather. So I seized my chance and set off on an adventure. Alongside my guide Johann Filliez, I set off for the highest summits of bernese alps. To the Grosses and Hinterer-Fiescherhorn, the Finsteraarhorn and the Grosses-Grünhorn, at an altitude of over 4000 metres. Ski ascent ...

Can you smell the heady fragrance of great adventure in the air? At the end of April, spring returns and the mountains open up to life once again. Their call becomes more urgent and I dream of once again surveying their vertiginous flanks. This time, the Valais gives way to Ecrins massif, wild and remote. This time, I'm preparing to climb the Barre des Écrins and the Dôme de neige. At an altitude of over 4,000 metres, this crossing marks the moment of our reunion. The start of an alpine season that I dream will be the most beautiful and daring. The ...

September 1, 2023. The end of summer is approaching and I can feel the mountains calling me. A new adventure awaits me in the heights of the Valais. Before the wind changes, bringing with it the First snows of autumn. Accompanied by my guide, Johann Filliez, I've decided to head for the edge of the Swiss Alps, to the Haut-Giffre massif, to traverse from Tour Sallière to Mont Ruan. A timeless journey to the peaks overlooking Lac d'Emosson, to summit these rock giants forgotten by the world. Where no path leads our footsteps, ...

June 2023. I'm about to climb the Rimpfischhorn. The mountain rises to 4199 meters between the valleys of Saas Fee and Zermatt, in the Valais Alps. I embark on this adventure without really knowing where it will take me. What is this imposing yet little-known colossus? I learn that its name comes from the unique shape of its northern ridge. Covered in dark teeth, it was formed by an ancient lava flow that erupted from the ocean millions of years ago. An incredible force of nature! A hidden Valais treasure.

June 2023. A new day dawns at summit . At the start of the new season, I've decided to climb the massif via Italy. Surveying the mountains I've admired for so many years is an opportunity to reacclimatize my body to alpine sensations. I have many plans for the coming months. Accompanied by my guide, Johann Filliez, I'm setting out to conquer 7 giants over 4,000 metres in altitude in just two days. Taking up the challenge of covering part of the famous Spaghetti Tour, which crosses the most beautiful summits of Mount Rose by their ...

July 2023. I'm getting ready to return to Dents du Midi, the emblematic massif of the Valais Alps. Already 9 years ago, I climbed the Haute Cime, 3257 meters above sea level, via the normal route. After bivouacking overnight at summit, I remember admiring the sunrise over one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Alps. For Dents du Midi occupies a unique position in the heart of the Alps. A landmark on the horizon, they offer a breathtaking view of the mountains, from the Écrins to bernese alps. But today, the stakes are quite different. ...

July 2023. It's already been six years since I met him. Six years that his regal beauty has fascinated me and that, with a vibrant heart, I've photographed him. After so many years, I'm finally going to realize one of my greatest dreams. To cross Lyskamm and its magnificent ridge. Suspended between heaven and earth, on the borders of the Valais Alps and the Aosta Valley. To complete this new ascent, I'm lucky enough to be accompanied by my guide, Johann Filliez, as well as my friend Alexis and his guide Antoine. Our steps will take us from Lyskamm occidental, which rises ...

August 2023. I'm tackling the Dent du Géant. This rocky peak rises to an altitude of 4013 metres in the heart of the Mont Blanc massif. It is one of the most climbed summits 4000 meters in the Alps. 14 metres lower, it fell back into the shadows. Unnoticed by record-seeking climbers. I've admired this mountain for many years. Its silhouette evokes the immensity of a world dominated by titans of stone. I've painted some fabulous portraits of it. The sharp fang of a fantastic creature determined to devour the sky. But I hadn't ...