Portrait of Mount Dolent at First snows. The mountain rises on the border between Switzerland, Italy and France. Dominating the ski area of Verbier, Mont Dolent guides us into this world of absolute reflections from above. From Mont Grépillon, we reach its summit, which points skywards between light and shadow. On the right, the Aiguille de l'Amône catches our eye. This vertiginous needle was highlighted by Jérémie Heitz, a steep-slope skier, in his film La Liste. Our expedition then takes us to the Aiguille de Leschaux and the Aiguille de Triolet, both on either side of Mont Dolent. Our journey ends at Grandes Jorasses on Mont Blanc, under the sharp eye of the Aiguille du Midi.

I took this black-and-white photograph of Mont Dolent in autumn 2023. At dawn, the mountain is reborn from the icy, vigorous winds. The evanescent mist gradually disappears, taking with it the torments of the night. The plastered faces glisten in the sunlight, while in the shadows they regenerate. Mount Dolent, buoyed by the splendor of its glaciers, exudes power and immoderation.

Only First snows redesigns the high mountains in this way. Like a gift from nature, a gift from heaven. Sublimating the contours of its rock, the beauty of its lines. Offering summit new textures. Our gaze delights in contemplating the ridges, crevasses and slopes thus remodeled. From the transience of fresh snow, the work tells us an eternal story. This story takes shape before our dazzled eyes, sculpted by the combination of light and shadow.