Le Blog Alta

Corsica: Between Sea and Summits

Some islands you pass through. Others pass through you. Corsica belongs to the second kind. It usually begins with the sea — an overnight ferry from Marseille or Nice, and at dawn, that silhouette ...

Some Places Never Leave You

There is a bench. At the end of a pier, in a city you only spent two days in. That's where you realized you were in love. You no longer remember the name of the street. You might not even find the ...

Mегève. The kind of place you carry with you.

It was a morning in January. Maybe five o'clock, maybe half past — I can't remember exactly. What I do remember is the bedroom window, the shutter slightly ajar, and that cold blue light filtering ...

Trail running and topography: the mountain ranges that make runners' hearts race

For a trail runner, the mountain is not a backdrop. It is a playground, an adversary, a passion measured in elevation gain, race times, and burned kilojoules. And topography — the science of terrai...

Gifting a place: the topographic illustration, the perfect gift for mountain and travel lovers

Some gifts are pleasant. Others touch something deeper — a memory, a passion, a place that changed a life. The topographic illustration belongs to that second category.The gift that says "I remembe...

Lyon in relief: the secret topography of a city between two rivers

Lyon is often described as a city nestled between the Rhône and the Saône. But this description barely scratches the surface of its actual relief. Seen through its topography, Lyon is a city of str...

How is an Alta illustration made? From summit to wall, in ink strokes

You may have seen an Alta illustration hanging at a friend's place, or noticed these distinctive relief tracings on social media. But do you know how they are made? From the digital terrain model t...

Ridgeline plots: from Joy Division to your walls

How a 1979 album cover inspired a new form of cartographic art. The story of ridgeline plots, pen plotting, and the birth of Alta Ateliers.