Geislerspitzen, romantic valleys in the Alps do exist
Q2, 2023
Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8 at 24 mm, 1/000 sec, F11, ISO100, Early July around noon. Looking over Santa Maddalena to the Geislerspitzen with appealing summits names like Odle, Sass Rigais or Furchetta.
Reinhold Messner, the first man that conquered all eight thousand meter peaks without oxygen, renamed his home mountains, the Geislerspitzen, into the dragon mountains. With some imagination one can see in this mountain ridge and cloud, the tail of a dragon. The tail going from right to left. So with some unintoxicated imaginative thoughts, the head of the dragon must be behind the mountainous hill at the left hand side? Is it the altitude that makes me wonder or is this a typical natural local phenomenon that Reinhold Messner must have witnessed frequently?
The ‘sunseiten weg’, a hike from Sankt Peter to Santa Maddalena is a hike that ends at one of the most romantic places in the Alps. This hike starts near the church of Sankt Peter. Next to the entrance of the church you will find the grave of Gunther Messner, the brother of Reinhold Messner, who died when climbing together the Himalayan eight thousand meter peak Nanga Parbat. Together, the Geislerspitzen are the mountains where they made their first climbing tours. Reinhold knows this area like the inside of his pocket.
After two to three hours hiking through alpine meadows, a half open forest with nice views across the valley, there is this small bench at the end of the trail, offering place for two to three to sit, rest and enjoy the grant vista. It’s a magnificent viewpoint. Probably the most romantic place in the Alps I have seen.
Imagine sitting on this bench in the sun, with a warm cup of thee and a tasteful delicious vegetarian wrap, which has been prepared by the cook of hotel Kabis, where mountaineers come for ages, looking across the valley towards the houses and church of Santa Maddalena. The Geislerspitzen covered with a little snow in the background. Blooming flowers with bees and butterflies whirling around you in the foreground. No deadlines of your work, no phone, no internet, no drones. Just you. On that bench.
This place is like a dream, transformed into reality. A place to open your creative mind, to experience imagination, to start asking questions about what you are looking at, the history, the stories and the people that originate from this valley. The mountains shaped millions of years ago in a landscape that has been transformed by farmers year after year, decade after decade, age after age. Meanwhile, there was this play of clouds and shadows suddenly forming the picture I wanted to make. This imaginative idea of a dragon, shaped by the Geislerspitzen and the clouds, formed in my head. It was time to make and share this picture.
We offer the upper image for sale via this website and galeries. If you are interested, check this link.
Nikon Z7ii 14-30 mm F4 at 14 mm. Purple crocus in front of Odle, view to Geislerspitzen from Seceda
Nikon Z7ii, 300mm F2.8. Four images stitched into one to capture the finest detail of the vertical walls of the Geislerspitzen. When printed big, even the cross on the summit of Sass Rigais is visible.
