It's been 150 years since Englishman Edward Whymper became the first person to scale the iconic 14,692-foot Matterhorn mountain. Photographer Robert Bösch and a team of Zermatt mountain guides retraced Whymper's historic journey, dotting the trail with dozens of lights for one spectacular photo.
The project required nearly six months of planning and preparation for a single shot. Commissioned by the Swiss creative agency Erdmannpeisker for Mammut, Bösch knew the pressure was on to get it right. "If you don’t have the photo then everyone has a big problem. We can’t stay there two weeks. You just have this chance," he says.
It took 14 guides to place 50 lights up the mountainside last autumn. The team made their way along the Hörnli Ridge side, positioning lights at 82-foot intervals and angled at a local landmark in a nearby village so they could be clearly seen. Some of the lanterns were three-watt headlamps while others were solar powered designed by guide Benedikt Perren especially for the event.
Bösch stood some six miles away, watching as the mountain path was slowly lit with fiery red lanterns. He used three different cameras mounted on a tripod and several long lenses to ensure he got multiple angles, but also to safeguard against equipment failure. The shoot was supposed to take place on the evening, but the snow-capped mountain was shrouded by thick clouds. Around three in the morning, the skies finally cleared and Bösch got his photo.
"When we decided to take a second chance in the morning we were very lucky," he says. "There were some clouds, but just a few and they reflected the light which is why they shine so red."
After the whole ordeal was over, the guides trekked back up the mountain to retrieve the lower lamps. The ones at higher altitudes were later recovered by helicopter. Because of the huge success and gorgeous result, Perren and his team plan to recreate the moment again on July 14, the official date of Whymper’s original climb over 100 years ago.
