Above the Ice: Nights and Days in the High Alps

Setting out with a vision

My initial idea for this journey was to continue working on my long‑term project “Lights, Shadows, and Glaciers". (See more from my long‑term project Lights, Shadows, and Glaciers.) I had envisioned moody weather, dramatic light, and storm fronts moving through the Alps. But nature had other plans: the weather turned out to be almost too good — day after day of blue skies and hardly a cloud in sight. Instead of dramatic contrasts, I found myself chasing subtler shifts in light, night skies, and the textures of ice and rock.

The famous Matterhorn from my trip to Switzerland last October.

Chasing the Milky Way at Saxer Lücke

Late June brought me to one of my favorite spots in the Alpstein range: Saxer Lücke.The plan was ambitious – capture the Milky Way rising above the jagged limestone peaks in perfect alignment. I scouted the location during the day, following the narrow ridges and rocky paths as golden light skimmed the grass and stone.

The Gitzo Series 4 Ball Head in combination with my trusty Gitzo Systematic Series 3 Tripod once again proved invaluable; setting up on uneven ground, I could level and fine‑tune and my composition in seconds thanks to the Gitzo Systematic Leveling Base.

As night fell, the air grew heavy. Stars began to pierce the deep blue twilight, but soon distant flashes of lightning appeared on the horizon. By 3:00 AM, when the galactic core should have been glowing right above the iconic rock spires of Saxer Lücke, thunderheads had already rolled in. Instead of the Milky Way, I captured the eerie glow of storm clouds lit by faraway towns, the last starlight filtering through breaks in the sky, and fleeting moments of calm between gusts of wind.

Narrow paths in the Alpstein region

Blue hour light on the ridgeline near Saxer Lücke before nightfall.

A stormy night over Saxer Lücke at 3:00 AM — just where the Galactic Core should have been, we had clouds instead.

From Pass to Pass to Pass – Susten, Grimsel, and Furka

After the stormy night in the Alpstein, my journey continued deeper into the high mountains. I drove over the Sustenpass, crossed the mighty Grimselpass, and finally tackled the steep, winding road up to the Furkapass.

The Rhone Glacier emerging between rugged rocks and wild alpine flowers.

From there, a small hike led me to the view of the tongue of the Rhone Glacier – a breathtaking sight and a reminder of the raw forces shaping these landscapes and how climate change is impacting the region nowadays.

The tongue of the Rhone Glacier shot with the ALPA 12 + ALPA 70mm Lens with a Hasselblad digital back

Among massive granite boulders dotted with alpine flowers, the glacier revealed its incredible textures: deep grooves, streaks of ancient ice, and subtle color shifts from grey to blue. I spent hours studying the patterns, switching between wide overviews and intimate close‑ups using the Sony 200-600mm and setting up the Gitzo Series 4 Ball Head almost like a gimbal and switching back to the ALPA Camera worked fantastic thanks to the new and improved friction control knob.

Abstract shapes and ancient ice textures on the Rhone Glacier.

One of the setups I used: ALPA 12 with the amazing ALPA 70mm lens (more on the ALPA will follow in a separate post)

Morteratsch Glacier Valley & Milky Way Dreams in Engadin

Albula Pass Road

The last leg of my journey took me south, across the sweeping curves of the Albulapass and down into the Engadin. My destination was one of my absolute favorite valleys in the Alps: the Morteratsch Glacier valley.

Morteratsch Glacier valley

Here I set up for another glacier-details session andI mounted my Sony 200–600 mm lens on the Gitzo Series 4 Ball Head, and thanks to its smooth movements, I could pan and tilt almost like using a gimbal. Tracking compositions became effortless.

What really surprised me was how much I appreciated the new and improved friction knob with little click stops. Adjusting resistance on the fly was so much more intuitive than on my older, trusty Gitzo Ball Head Series 5. For a heavier telephoto like the 200–600 mm, this extra control made all the difference.

Glacier Details captured with the Sony 200-600mm lens.

A change of perspective - shot with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro

An almost hidden place above the Glacier

There’s one last place I want to share – though not by name. High above the Morteratsch valley lies a secluded peak with a sweeping view into a glacier‑filled basin. Reaching it took a bit of effort because of the unusual hight temperatures, but standing at the edge of that silent amphitheater of ice and rock felt like arriving in another world.

Little patches of snow are a reminder of the impact of climate change.

As the evening light softened, I set up the ALPA 12 with the ALPA 70 mm lens paired with a Hasselblad digital back, carefully framing the glacier valley in the warm glow of sunset. Subtle details emerged in the distance — pale blue streaks of compressed ice, winding meltwater channels, and ridges that looked almost like brushstrokes. I stayed on that peak, working slowly, letting the last sun ignite the peaks and fade into deep twilight.

A 2 Row Panoramic shot from the ALPA 12 + 70mm lens reveals an incredible amount of details.

When night came, I switched back to my Sony A7 RV paired with the Sigma 20 mm f/1.4 lens, mounted on the Gitzo setup, to capture the Milky Way as it stretched high above the valley. I didn’t settle for a single frame: I created multi‑row panoramic shots, two rows with five images each, to record more details of the night sky over the glacier basin in high resolution. For this kind of panorama, it was crucial that the tripod was perfectly leveled — the Gitzo Systematic Leveling Base in combination with the Series 4 Ball Head made that process fast and precise, ensuring smooth stitching later on.

Using a Sony A7 RV and Sigma 20mm 1.4 DG DN Art lens for the multi-row panoramic shots

At sunrise, I returned to the ALPA 12 to work again with the Hasselblad back. Conditions were just as extraordinary: first light brushing across snowfields, distant peaks glowing, and the glacier’s crevasses catching subtle pinks and blues — a perfect finale to a night spent in the high alpine stillness.

On the Way Home – Flims and the Segnesboden

On my way back, I made a stop in Flims and wandered into the otherworldly landscape of the Segnesboden. Rivers carve through pale rock, and the place feels both ancient and alive. Even if the time up there fell short because of heavy rainfalls, it was worth it.

Flowing water winding through the Segnesboden, framed by rugged limestone walls.

On the way down, I found myself stretching my tripod over a gorge to get the composition I wanted. That’s when I was most thankful for gear I trust. The Gitzo tripod held rock‑steady as rushing water roared below and I carefully composed from above.

Behind the scenes — camera placed across a gorge, fully trusting the Gitzo setup.

Final Thoughts

From the storm‑lit ridges of Saxer Lücke, across the glacier‑lined passes of Susten, Grimsel, and Furka, to the star‑streaked silence of Morteratsch and the hidden glacier perch, and finally the rugged beauty of Flims — this trip reminded me why I love working in the high Alps.

These landscapes demand resilience, patience, and gear you can trust blindly — and the new Gitzo Series 4 Ball Head, paired with my trusty Systematic Tripod & the Leveling Base I'm using since 2018, earned that trust with every frame.

Pass road from above.

If you enjoyed this journey, feel free to share it or leave a comment below. You can also follow my ongoing projects on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter.

Disclosure:

I’ve been working with Gitzo since 2018 and I’m proud to be part of the Gitzo Creator program. Over the years I’ve relied on their tripods and heads in challenging conditions all over the Alps, so when I talk about the new Series 4 Ball Head, it’s from years of experience with their gear in the field.