Here we are, facing the immensity of the North, North-East face of the Weisshorn (4505m); this imposing pyramid separates the Val d'Anniviers from the Zermatt valley and looks out towards the blue horizon. This mythical summit of the Valais Alps dominates the imperial crown of Zinal.

The ridge rips through the skies, between light and shadow, just after the storm. The sky calms down, and the last little cloud swirls wildly around the summit cross. The ridge is a classic route of the Swiss 4000s, and is ranked as one of the most beautiful climbs in the Alps. Naturally demanding, the route is becoming harder year after year as the ice melts, revealing some mixed rock and snow sections in places. summit has to be earned; I was lucky enough to be able to climb it after passing the Grand Gendarme, which impassively blocks access. The Weisshorn is a fatal beauty whose sublime seracs are carefully monitored because of the mortal risk they represent for the tiny commune of Randa, situated below the sleeping ice giant.

This photograph reveals a quartet of 4000s: the Weisshorn, with its sharp lines; the Matterhorn, undisputed lord of the Alps; the Ober Gabelhorn, with its extremely steep north face; and the Dent d'Hérens, a perfect diamond. These peaks of the world above all rival each other in beauty. They line up here, complementing each other and forming a whole: the soul of the Valais, timeless and unsurpassed. Finally, to close the picture, the Liskamm receives the last rays of the great dying star.