The Aiguille du Croissant (4259m), located between the Combin de Grafeneire (4314m) and the Combin de la Tsessette (4134m), is a summit traditionally used in the grande traversée des Combins, a major race linking all the 4000m peaks in the massif.

Although the aiguille is one of them, it is not included in the famous list of 82 summits over 4000m. It is nonetheless a demanding peak with a unique aesthetic...

This needle is aptly named. It looks like a beautiful crescent straight from the furnace of the massif's gods. Resting on a plateau of frozen rock, it points its domed, airy back towards the heavens...

In fact, I think that the names we attach to summits sometimes direct our vision too much. If we let ourselves be carried away for a moment by summit and its poetry, without dwelling on nomenclature, the lines it draws may evoke something quite different: the white flanks of a sleeping woman? the spine of an ice dragon from ancient times? in the mountains, there are no limits to creation, anything goes. At these altitudes, the imagination is completely free: it's a farandole of possibilities.

This shot, taken during a storm, invites the viewer to contemplate every detail. After a few minutes, lost in the dazzling white of the needle, he or she will see the hostile, mysterious summit de Grafeneire looming in the dark fog: yes, this is where the daring climbers will head to finish their ascent, when the spring snows have covered the sharp ice, allowing for a more serene journey. And below, to the left of the aiguille? an abyss of rock rushing towards the Glacier du Croissant; while, towards us, the Mur de la Côte indicates the route for the skilful visitor to the world above.

The contrasts in this photograph highlight the massive aspect of the needle, between light and shadow.

This work is unique. Its simplicity is its complexity.