A celestial flight through the legendary summits of the Valais region in the Swiss Alps. In this black-and-white photograph, the mountains sweep majestically by. In the foreground, the north ridge of the Weisshorn links it to Bishorn via the Grand Gendarme. To the left,Alphubel andAllalinhorn are renowned for their accessibility. On the right, the Rimpfischhorn unfurls its rocky ridge, an uninterrupted succession of juts and peaks. Finally, in the background, the Strahlhorn offers a superb traverse for ski tourers. From val d’Anniviers, our gaze wanders to the Zermatt valley, before dreamily reaching the Saas Fee valley.

I took this fabulous portrait of the mountains during a hot-air balloon trip at an altitude of 5,000 metres. Guided by 120 km/h winds, the balloon took me across the Alps, from Crans-Montana to Turin. The flight was so fast that I was overcome by altitude sickness. Every time I crouched down to change focus, my head spun terribly. To be able to breathe properly, I was equipped with an oxygen tank. At the mercy of the elements, I felt up there like a fragile being tossed about in an environment not my own. I was in my basket like a spider hanging from its web in the middle of a storm. I had to stay focused on the beauty of the mountains and my artistic quest to get my shots. I had to trust nature and the equipment that supported me. Despite the difficulties of the flight, I hung in there and I'm happy to be able to present this work to you today. My crossing of the Alps was a real adventure, perilous and testing. But my encounter with the high mountains that day enabled me to immortalize some unique moments.

In this work, the light emphasizes the relief, highlighting the scale of the snow-covered summits . I love the almost abstract texture of the western slope of the Weisshorn in the foreground. The interplay of lines between these mountains is fantastic. And when the image is carried by its large-format print , the Weisshorn,Alphubel and Strahlhorn take on all their incredible dimension.