A Night at 2600 m.a.s.l. …
In this post
The story behind
Images
The story behind
I had come to Zermatt already two times before, for mountain-biking; in 2019 and in 2020. Since my first visit, I have known about a few photography spots where one could see the Matterhorn reflected on a lake. One of them was special, as the view could be rather symmetric, depending where you stood. So, already on my first trip I planned to spend two nights on location.
Yes, “the nights on location“! While the spot is visited by thousands of tourists everyday, only a few people make the images that I wanted, with the reflection at sunrise and/or sunset, as well as images during the night, because being there at the right time takes some extra effort. In summer, the sun rises between 6 and 7, and it goes down behind the mountain range, where the Matterhorn is located, at about 20:00. The Stellisee lies at 2600 m.a.s.l., and cable cars only run approximately from 8:00 to 17:00 h. So, if you want to come earlier or later, you got a 1000 height-metres climb ahead. Spending the night there means either booking a room at a popular mountain hotel or freezing outside. If you opt for the hotel, you need to book in advance, not knowing what the weather will bring.
In 2019, we spent two knights at the hotel. The first sunset was rather nice, but the Matterhorn was partially capped by a cloud most of the time. That’s a common situation. Temperature gradients over the glacier combined with the shape of the mountain cause turbulence in the wind, which then gives origin to a sticky cloud, even when the rest of the sky is clear. It has to be calm on that side for the mountain to be seen in all its beauty. It has to be calm also on the other side of the valley where the lake is, if you want to get the reflection. So, it didn’t happen that evening. It became cloudier during the night, and the sun didn't rise (you know what I mean). The mountain was not even visible at all that morning. The next day, it was a similar story.
In 2020, we did something else. We gave up on the sunrise. We rented a couple of e-bikes to climb to the spot in the evening and to return down during the night. It was very tough with all photography gear. We arrived sweat, we froze as we cooled down, and came back down with nothing better than the time before.
Finally, we were rewarded in our third intent this year, 2024. We had booked a night at the hotel several months in advance. Due to a booking mistake from my side, we needed to change the day at the last minute, which worked out miraculously, and we got great weather. So, we came back down the next day with images of the sunset, the night, and the sunrise. We spent the following week mountain-biking in the region.
Images
The Matterhorn reflected on the Stellisee in golden hour before sunset. 34 mm | f/10 | 1.3 sec | ISO-100.
This is probably my favorite image of the set. I like side-back-lit images; there is some dynamic to it. Also, the combination of warm orange and cold blue tones is one I really like. I shot many images as the light changed and this was one of the latest. This one also has on its favor that the moon was already low enough to fit nicely in the frame. The clouds and the warm tones on the right help to balance the image, adding width to the thinner ridge on that side.
Matterhorn Reflection with Star Trails. 24 mm | f/1.4 | 30 x 180 s | ISO-400.
Since I knew about this place, I also wanted to try some astro-landscapes. But there are two main problems besides weather: the alignment of the milky way core is not the best, and there is too much light pollution from the town.
Therefore, I tried something different that would not be affected much by those issues; star trails. The sky was not fully clear and therefore, I did not want to spend much time. Despite the light pollution, and the clouds, some stars were strong enough to make this nice image.
I got as a bonus the zick-zack trail of lights from hikers going to the Hörnlihütte around midnight. Now, while this is a nice touch for the image, I do not know how to feel about it. Those hikers might have been doing something not quite right.
Some people spend the night at the Hörnlihütte to start the climb to the Matterhorn at 4am, at astronomical twilight. This is part of the preparation, and there is a logical hierarchy, for efficiency and safety. Faster climbers with professional guides go first. People who climb to the base camp at night, do it generally to avoid the costs of sleeping in the hut, and sometimes to even start before the guides. But this can put them, and many others, at risk. They will be more tired, will have had a worse night, and not all of them know what they have actually signed for. The dangers of the Matterhorn are often underestimated due to the ease of reaching the base. But it turns out to be one of the mountains where most people die per year. Some people unfortunately die due to inherent risks of the sport; but takining a higher risk to save a few hundred bucks does not make sense. During the early climb, professional guides of Zermatt often find people stuck along the way in risky spots, which is not good for anyone.
First Light or Red Cap. 34 mm | f/11 | 1/5 sec | ISO-100.
This is an image many people want but it is my least favourite. I am not very fond of the colour combination, and the front illuminated scene is a bit too flat. I even prefer the moment before the tip gets red at all. See the image below which was taken a few minutes before.
Morning Blue Hour. 29 mm | f/10 | 4/5 sec | ISO-100.
There was some wind at this moment, which in my opinion adds to the image some dynamic without destroying the reflection.
Morning Gold. 38 mm | f/10 | 1/15 sec | ISO-100.
From the sunrise images, this is probably my favourite. I like the colours of this moment much more. By the way, I do not know whether you have already noticed the brown “cabinet” at end of the lake, right in front of the Matterhorn. That is a public toilet, which cannot be closed because the door hinges are damaged (probably due to the weather). I know most people choose to clone-it-out; but for me, it is not a random piece of trash; it is a permanent part of the landscape. It might be gone sometime, and I got it to remember.
Visiting this place is also nice by bicycle. We did it several times, and found another spot along the way down which I really liked. So, on our last decent one evening, we decided to wait until blue hour to make the following image.
Zermatt in blue hour. 42 mm | f/4 | 1/15 sec | ISO-2500.
It would be interesting to repeat this one staying until the stars come out. It was not possible that night with the clouds and no tripod.
Thank you for reading!
