ALMOST THERE - Tormod Granheim

Edition: of 4, 8, 12
Size: 160 x 110, 107 x 71, 46 x 69 cm
Ready to hang: No
Signed: Yes, Back and Certificate of Authenticity
Materials: Inkjet on fine art cotton / Moab Entrada Natural 300 gsm
Shipping: From Oslo 

ALMOST THERE

Chamonix Mont Blanc, France, 2020

Grand Charmoz has a mysterious appeal to us who travel among the mountains of the Alps. The north face is considered one of the more demanding in the Alps and was not climbed until 1931 - it still did not quite reach the point of being included in the group of mountains called the six classic north faces - it is only “almost there”.

The stories of how demanding the mountain was for climbers made an early impression on me. If you ski down the Vallée Blanche, this is the last mountain you go around before you reach the train at Montenvers. Then I always glance up at the top and feel a certain awe.

The photo was taken as a heavy storm was dying down. We had a fantastic day, the mountain was filled with fresh loose snow and visibility was gradually improving. I had my camera with me and after first working on Grands Montets I travelled over to La Flégère to photograph with a skier Jens W. Normann. The clouds that were letting go in Grands Charmoz caught my attention and I had no choice but to intuitively point a short telephoto lens at the mountain on the other side of the Chamonix valley and capture this scene.