From the farthest reaches of the Valais Alps, two colossuses invite me on the most beautiful of journeys. This perilous and sublime celestial crossing which, from earth to sky, transforms us forever. TheObergabelhorn, like a rough diamond, and the Matterhorn, sovereign of Zermatt. I offer you this exceptional photograph today as a portrait of majestic, eternal mountains.

And yet, each season brings its own metamorphosis. I took this photograph in early autumn. Strained by a scorching summer, the mountains were impatiently awaiting winter. Their scorching rocks and thirsty glaciers awaited the arrival of First snows. In September, the cold winds granted their wish. So I flew out to meet them. Faced withObergabelhorn and the snow-covered Matterhorn, I felt my heart beat faster than it should. The high summits had finally regained their infinite presence. The spectacle playing out at the top of the Valais was enchanting.

At the end of summer 2023, the north face ofObergabelhorn is enjoying its last hours in the sun before being plunged into shadow for several months. At its feet, its gigantic glacier reveals the richness of its thousand-year-old history. Exposed, it reveals itself, more tormented than ever. I still remember the first time I looked at it. It was in 2013, and its whiteness was such that it lit up the sky. Captivated by such beauty, I photographed it, and this portrait ofObergabelhorn now features on the cover of my book Above. But today, the mountain is quite different. Its weakened glacier is now fractured by a deep, impassable gash. Its freshly collapsed seracs, its open crevasses. And ice appears as a watermark on its previously snow-covered north face.

Nature changes, the Alpine landscape reinvents itself. And despite the pain, the high mountains unfold their treasures. I love the contrasts in this striking work. Obergabelhorn and the Matterhorn, which, from shadow to light, are reborn powerful and serene. The summits seem to respond to each other. The balance of their forms, the flight of their lines. The echo of their voices resonates in the Alps and lifts us beyond ourselves. To the grandest things in the world. To a realm of a thousand wonders.