After a long night tormented by storms, a miracle occurs at dawn on the Nadelgrat: the clouds part, the sky opens up, and light caresses the high mountain. In front of us, the vertical northeast face of the Hohberghorn rises up like an imposing rampart. In the distance, we can make out the silhouette of the Matterhorn. A distant witness, it seems to watch over the scene without disturbing its harmony.
It's early spring, 2022, and this storm will have been the only one of the season that year. Yet it was no less intense. All night long, the wind howled, lifting the snow and pressing it against the rock faces. Now, at daybreak, the atmosphere is transformed: a veil of purity covers the peaks, the rock has disappeared beneath a uniformly white layer, and the low-angled light highlights every detail of the snowy surface. It was at this precise moment that I chose to trigger the shutter, to capture the ephemeral beauty of the calmed mountain.
The Hohberghorn, culminating at over 4200 meters, is part of the Nadelgrat in the heart of the Valais Alps. From this angle, its northeast face takes on an almost unreal appearance. The slopes, both steep and uniform, seem frozen like a huge, delicate sculpture. Here and there, cracks still covered by recent snow can be made out, drawing barely perceptible lines. Variations in gray, white and shadow evoke an immense monochrome canvas, where light reveals the sensitivity of each texture.
The eye is inevitably drawn to the almost hypnotic purity of this snowy wall. Contrasts emphasize angles and folds, while black and white reinforce the graphic aspect of the scene. I particularly like the interplay of light and shadow: the nuances intermingle, creating a spectacle that is both sober and powerful. As the eye travels down the slope, it perceives the true measure of nature: where the photographer seeks an image, the mountain continues, indifferent, to live and transform itself.
In the background, the recognizable shape of the Matterhorn takes shape. Although it is not the main subject, it contributes to the visual balance of the whole, like a discreet companion. It seems to float above a sea of clouds, shrouded in subdued light. For anyone familiar with these parts, the Matterhorn is a landmark, an emblematic figure of the Alps. But on this particular morning, the Matterhorn almost takes a back seat to the Hohberghorn, whose presence imposes itself with a rare intensity.
For me, this vision of the summits is worth all the treasures in the world. Every moment is a gift: the storm could have lasted longer, or left a leaden sky with no escape to the light. Instead, nature chose to offer us a unique spectacle, combining the new-found tranquility of the high mountains with the exhilaration of a once-clear sky.
It's this paradox that constantly feeds my inspiration: the mountain is never exactly the same, yet its aura remains unchanged. In this landscape bathed in an unexpected ray of sunshine, the Hohberghorn reveals part of its soul. Sublimated by the delicate whiteness of the snow, it asserts itself as a timeless giant. Beside it, the Matterhorn stands elegantly by, reminding us all that the beauty of the high mountains is often born of these fleeting apparitions, when the storm fades and a new day dawns on the kingdom of the peaks.