The Zumsteinspitze, noble sentinel of the Monte Rosa massif, is one of the highest peaks in the Alps at over 4,000 meters. In the late autumn of 2024, as the sun begins its slow descent towards the horizon, the summit glows in an almost unreal golden light. To the west, the wall is illuminated by the last rays of the day, revealing the crisp texture of the snow still covering the rock. The air is pure and clear, and there's not a cloud in sight. The snow-covered pyramid of the Zumsteinspitze rises up before us, imposing its icy obelisk-like appearance, like a sacred offering to the heavens.

It is said that the Zumsteinspitze owes its name to Swiss geologist Joseph Zumstein, who helped map this wilderness. Perched at an altitude of over 4,500 metres, this summit is one of the giants that surround the majestic Monte Rosa. At this twilight hour, the contrasts become more pronounced: the upper part of the slope receives the sun's last rays, while the base is already beginning to slip into shadow. This Light duality gives the image its depth. Shades of gray follow one another, forming a subtle relief that evokes both sharp ridges and Soft folds.

The snow, freshly hardened by the first frosts, has a smooth, almost grainy surface that is enhanced by the low-angled light. Like a fine glaze, it envelops the rock, which in places is still outcropping. Here, a dark block breaks the immaculate whiteness; there, a ridge appears like a line of ink on a sheet of paper. The fragility of this material, cracked by cold and tamed by time, is apparent. The slightest ray of sunset seems to play with the crystals, making the wall shimmer in silvery flashes.

In the distance, the valley begins to fade into darkness. Above us, the sky gradually takes on a soft, melancholy hue, as if the day were slowly fading away, giving way to the silence of the peaks. This twilight atmosphere lends the scene an almost dreamlike quality: the Zumsteinspitze seems to float above the world, emerging from a blurred reality. At this very moment, the mountain seems frozen, caught in the suspension of time.

When I photograph these summits, I seek above all to capture the encounter between light and rock, between movement and immutability. Here, the Zumsteinspitze offers itself unreservedly, revealing its slender silhouette. The striations and corridors, the fine crevasses and folds of ice, all bear witness to the millennia-old history that nature has tirelessly written. In black and white, the scene gains in intensity: freed from the distraction of color, the mountain is revealed in its rawest, most sincere essence.

The moment is brief: the sun, already low, will soon let darkness cover this glittering wall. And as night falls, the cold returns, consolidating the snow on the western slope. In the new-found silence, the Zumsteinspitze continues its eternal vigil over the Monte Rosa massif, the solitary guardian of an icy mineral kingdom. In the early hours of the morning, a new play of light will emerge, revealing new nuances and contrasts. But for now, it's this last burst of autumn that I wanted to immortalize, when the mountain gives itself over entirely in a sumptuous farewell to the fading day.