08/31/2026
What is alpenglow? The word comes from the German Alpenglühen, “glow of the Alps,” and it describes a pink or purple glow seen on mountain peaks when the sun is below the horizon. The peaks are in shadow, and what lights them is sunlight scattered off water v***r and particles in the atmosphere, bounced back down onto the snow or rock. I’ve seen many fellow photographers mistake the first light of sunrise on a summit for alpenglow, but if the sun is up and the shadow line is moving down the face, that is direct light. Alpenglow is a softer, more subtle glow that appears before sunrise or after sunset.