This vertical photograph highlights two mythical summits in France's famous Mont Blanc massif. In the foreground, the Aiguille des Drus is one of the hardest mountains in the Alps to climb. Behind it, the Aiguille verte rises majestically to an altitude of 4122 metres. A perfect pyramid that seems to touch the sky, it seems inaccessible to man. Admiring these rock legends, which have played such a key role in the history of mountaineering, is always a source of intense emotion for me.

Illuminated by the late afternoon sun, the two snow-plastered spires pierce the clouds. In this work, I wanted to emphasize the lightning verticality of the stone needles. Their purity is also underlined by the beauty of their snowy mantle. They adopt this Himalayan profile only a few days a year. For this to happen, the storm that snows their walls must be followed by special humidity and wind conditions that allow the flakes to cling to summits. The moment is fleeting, for as soon as the sun appears, the snow melts and the rock reappears. To complete the picture, you need to be lucky enough to have clouds crossing the sky when it clears. Only then is the moment perfect.

To create such a spectacular work, I have to study the weather every day. When a favorable window of opportunity arises, I monitor the changing conditions hour by hour, so as to estimate as precisely as possible the right moment for the shot. I shot this grandiose portrait of the Aiguille verte and the Drus by helicopter. This spectacular angle, which gives summits its verticality, cannot be obtained from the ground. I was exceptionally lucky to be able to fly through the storm, between the clouds, to be able to present this masterful work to you today.