Learn Little More than What you Know Now

The icefall is not far from where my home in central Switzerland is, and I noticed it a while ago when passing nearby. It is such a bold line. pretty exposed with several sections of freestanding ice columns, but it takes the reference of a climber to show its whole majesty. The problem was that good, safe conditions, with a thin ice line from top to bottom are rare. After a period of cold weather I decided to check out the condition of the icefall. It looked good and I had a quick talk to Walter action sports who lives right next to the icefall’s exit.

As luck would have it, Walter told me he was going to climb the icefall the next day. I decided to take the chance and get some ‘wide’ shots from the opposite side of the valley. So, when I went back, fresh snow had covered the landscape – breathtaking! I did not have to do much more than wait for the climbers to get in the right position. later, they told me that during their ascent, the whole icefall ‘settled’ (released tension) with a ‘whoom’ sound. Scary if you are climbing, but I did not even notice. Walter and Stefan Suhner, who is belaying in the photo, topped out without any problem.

I have shots that required a lot more effort from my side, both physically and mentally, but in the end, that’s not what makes a great photo. Sometimes, all it takes is being at the right place and not missing the ‘magic’ moment!

Read Users' Comments (0)