Oberrothorn Peak 11,200ft, Switzerland Alps

Oberrothorn, 11,150 ft, is one of the peaks in the Swiss Alps that overlooks the village of Zermatt thousands of feet below — a Matterhorn warm-up peak.

At times I am in a complete whiteout within the clouds, and other times the clouds pass and I am surrounded by mountain landscapes where clouds turn ranges into islands and hide the features below. The views of the Matterhorn are vague and quite interesting as the pyramid in the sky disappears and reappears with each passing front. Once at the peak, the clouds breeze by as little ice crystals, and alpine lakes and glaciers appear below.