Daniel Truel

Attitude Raquette

Many winters spent in the snows of Savoy...
Summers and autumns in the Himalayas...
I live in the La Plagne ski area.

I studied history to understand the journeys of humankind, then pursued a master's degree in ethnology to delve into the deeply personal and often difficult-to-share secrets of cultural intimacy. My work as a photographer allows me to give tangible form to these encounters and experiences, which I then share with others.

My best resume is this website, my photo essays, my choice of photographs and their captions—a space where I can share my dreams and some of my travel experiences.

My State Mountain Guide certification, along with my first-level mountaineering qualification, may give us the opportunity to meet for a snowshoe hike or a trek somewhere on our planet. Happy travels, and I look forward to discussing them with you.

• A few examples...

The pleasure of walking in unspoiled landscapes, above the forests, on hard snow packed down by the wind. The summits and ridges offer, as a reward, magnificent panoramic views. Here in the La Plagne area, I take clients to the top of Mont Saint-Jacques.

It was a trek without any major difficulties, but when the mountain gets angry, everything becomes complicated. Without the help of my friend François Pigeard, a doctor who participated in an Everest expedition, the journey would have been even more difficult. Our Indian guide, "Diwan," led us across the glacier, carefully navigating around the crevasses, and then there we were, all of us, at the Pin Parvati Pass at 5,300 meters altitude. Some of us were exhausted; we had spent 48 hours walking in fresh snow, sinking into it with every step! Now we had to descend the other side with bad weather closing in. I was overjoyed because it was a collective achievement. Only two or three hours of effort remained, and I knew the breathtaking beauty we were about to discover in complete serenity in the Spiti Valley (Himachal Pradesh, northern India, near Tibet).

In the company of young monks at the Karsha Monastery (Zanskar, Ladakh, Kashmir, northern India). The atmosphere of a ceremony generally surprises those who are experiencing it for the first time. Between the antics of the youngest and the drowsiness of the elders, we couldn't help but be amused. The fascination that Buddhism holds for us, coming from our own world, is truly shaken when confronted with the reality on the ground. There is always a disconnect between what we imagine about a civilization and the lived experience, the direct encounter with these smells, these eyes that scrutinize you, and the atmosphere in which you find yourself immersed. That's where the journey, the discovery, truly begins.

With my son Samy at the highest motorable pass in the world, at an altitude of 5,610 meters. I hope Tiphaine, his younger sister, will one day visit Ladakh—one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Here we are at the Khardung La pass in Indian Kashmir.

Easier to approach than the Queen of England, the Queen of Ladakh is pictured here with our guide and myself. Now relegated to a symbolic role, the king gives tours of his modest home in order to earn some income.