Monte Bianco

Here are some images taken over the summer in the Courmayeur area. It was actually the very first time I visited the Mont Blanc range. The Italian, southeastern side is a wonderful eldorado for mountain photographers. The cliffs rise 3000m high above the valley floors. It's very impressive.

The picture on the left is Mont Blanc de Courmayeur, 4765m, the highest summit on Italian soil. The mountain has its characteristic 'capuchon' announcing bad weather. On the right hand side we see the dark, precipitous profile of the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, 3773m.

The picture in the middle is taken from the Vallone di Malatra, which branches of from the Italian Val Ferret. It's a wonderful, glacier-moulded valley that provides a splendid view on the chaotic east face of Grandes Jorasses, 4208m.

On the right we see the mysterious glacial expanses of the Testa del Rutor, 3486m. The photo is taken from the Colle d'Arp, 2570m, high above the enchanting Vallone di Youla, which descends towards the alpine village of La Thuile.

These are a few images of last summer's meager harvest. Very soon the weather would turn for the worst and this spell was to last for weeks. All pictures taken, as usual, with the 300mm lens on the Chamonix 4x5" on Fuji Acros 100, scanned on the Imacon 848 and duotoned in PhotoShop.