THE COLD RIDERS
photographed by
Alexis Pichot

This metaphor of “the cold riders” would have originated in the Middle Ages in France and designates a period of late frosts from April to mid-May.
According to sources from Méteo France, at the end of March 2021, 298 monthly heat records were broken in France and at the beginning of April 2021, 131 monthly cold records. These sad records linked to climate deregulation increase the risk of loss. The buds formed before the late frosts can be weakened or even destroyed.
Some winegrowers use different techniques such as candles in an attempt to save the buds from frost.

Finding myself in front of this scenery went beyond pure aesthetic pleasure. It put me, once again, in front of an environmental and economic reality which certainly marked my mind.
This sharing will hopefully be one more drop in the individual and collective awareness of our climatic reality.
A creation that I wanted to be documentary and which remains at the same time close to my universe.
_Alexis Pichot