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Paragliding in Guatemala
Photograph by John Stapels, Red Bull Content Pool
Paraglider Horacio Llorens beat the Infinity Tumbling World Record with 568 consecutive loops over the Maya ruins of Takalik Abaj, Guatemala, on December 8, 2012.
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Kayaking the Gol Gol River, Whitewater Grand Prix, Chile
Photograph by Tait Trautman
"Waterfalls are one of the best parts of kayaking," says 18-year-old Galen Volckhausen, the youngest competitor at the 2012 Whitewater Grand Prix, a 14-day, 5-race event that attracts 30 of the world's best kayakers and ended on December 14. Here, Volckhausen is seen training on 30-foot La Princessa, one of three drops along the Enduro race course on Gol Gol River. "Including waterfalls in a race makes it more technical," says Volckhausen. "The race is no longer about paddling as hard as you can, but about paddling as hard as you can while hitting hard lines down waterfalls and steeper sections of whitewater."
Chile was the ideal location for the event because of its many world-class whitewater rivers—some of which are in danger of being dammed for hydropower. Still, free-flowing rivers are also a big part of Chile's strong ecotourism economy. "Maipo and Futaleufu are big destinations for rafting vacations, and many other rivers draw in anglers from all over the world," notes Volckhausen. "Less important, but still relevant for us, the kayaking community could lose one of its best whitewater destinations."
Getting the Shot
"The Whitewater Grand Prix really kept me on my toes as a photographer,” says shooter Tait Trautman, who visited Chile for the first time while covering the 2012 kayaking event. “Often plans would be made to run certain rivers, then the next day, the athletes and safety team would determine the water levels were too high, and we had to find other rivers to run,” says Trautman.
Facing restricted river access, Trautman decided to find a unique angle. “I always try to incorporate something into the foreground of my images, to create more depth of field," says Trautman of the rocks on the left, right, and bottom of the image. "By doing this, you lead the viewer's eye deeper into the image and focusing on the kayaker."
Trautman photographed with a Canon 5D Mark III.
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First Free Ascent of Centaur, Eldorado Canyon, Colorado
Photograph by Celin Serbo
“The crux pitch [seen in the photo] took nine days of effort starting in late September, with an additional two or three days up there by myself finding holds, cleaning them, and just trying to decipher individual moves,” says Boulder, Colorado-based climber Chris Weidner. Weidner completed the first free ascent of the Centaur route with climbing partner Bruce Miller from ground up in six hours on November 20, 2012. Centaur, which was established as an aid route in 1967, was one of the last left in the canyon to be free climbed.
Here, Weidner is seen more than 700 feet off the deck on an overhanging plaque of sandstone. “It sure is a spectacular position," recalls Weidner, who has completed numerous first and first free ascents in the western U.S. and internationally in western Canada, Newfoundland, Mexico, Iran, and Tajikistan. "The views are incredible, too, with the river, the quaint town of Eldorado Springs, and a glimpse of distant Denver with its buildings that appear so tiny.”
Getting the Shot
“Eldorado Canyon is a well established climbing area, with much of its history already written. It was exciting to witness something significant and new,” says photographer Celin Serbo. “Its setting, exposure, and history make it very aesthetic from a photographic perspective,” he recalls.
“Chris had the difficult job,” says Serbo. “I wanted to give a sense of place with this route. To get the perspective I wanted required a relatively easy scramble up an area called the East Slabs and a short rappel into Red Garden Wall. [This limited the amount of gear] I could bring with me—simplicity is nice. I wanted to shoot looking down the route, but I had recently broken three ribs in a mountain biking crash and was limited in how long I could hang in a harness," he says. "Next time!”
Serbo photographed with a Nikon D800 and 24-70mm, f/2.8 lens.
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Surfing the Red Bull Night Riders Tow-In Contest, Flagler Beach, Florida
Photograph by Robert Snow, Red Bull Content Pool
“The wind was blowing so hard, you could see salt in the air as it moved horizontally above the ocean,” recalls photographer Robert Snow. For the third year in a row, Snow photographed the Red Bull Night Riders Tow-In Surf contest in Flagler Beach, Florida. Rookie surfer Evan Thompson (pictured) ended up winning first place.
Bad weather was predicted for the contest day, with a 30-percent chance of rain and a hard north wind. As the sun set, rain moved in and Snow and his team protected Profoto light packs by encasing them in Tenba air cases to keep them dry. They also wrapped garbage bags around the back of the flash heads to avoid water damage. “Neither of these are recommended solutions, but we had to improvise,” says Snow.
“I found refuge down the beach under a pop-up tent so I could keep the camera dry and mist off of the front element of the 600mm lens,” Snow recalls. “The weather caused a lot of stress for my team and [me]. We had the potential of ruining about $40,000 worth of strobe-lighting equipment, not to mention the camera and lens. Luckily, we managed to keep all of the gear dry and got good photos. I'm very thankful for that.”
Snow photographed with a Canon 1Dx and a 600mm, f/4.0 lens. For lighting, Snow used Profoto 7B2R strobe kits.
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Highlining on a Natural Arch Near Moab, Utah
Photograph by Krystle Wright
"These days I don't think about much while I'm out on the line, and that's the ultimate goal," says highliner and climber Emily Sukiennik. "If your mind is racing or full of sporadic thoughts, you're going to fall." The Moab resident is seen here on a 50-foot-long highline rigged 150 feet above the ground on a natural arch just outside of town. "Sometimes I'll count my steps while focusing solely on my breathing or sometimes I'll repeat specific words to myself: breath, relax, focus, be strong. The line is a place to forget about everything and just be completely, utterly in the moment."
Getting the Shot
“This arch was beautiful to shoot,” recalls adventure photographer Krystle Wright. “Moab is such a unique place to photograph with varying desert landscapes, which is why I continue to return here.”
Wright scouted the area ahead of time to determine her strategy. “The fact that this is an arch made this shoot far more different than other shoots. I wanted to showcase the arch in the frame and with this [particular] angle. The late afternoon sun created the dramatic look we were hoping for. I always love to create depth in images,” says Wright.
Wright photographed with a Canon 5D Mark II and carried a 24mm, f/1.4 lens and a 50mm, f/1.2 lens.
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Backcountry Skiing in Arolla, Switzerland
Photograph by Jérémy Bernard
Getting the Shot
"I want people to dream about skiing when they see my work,” says photographer Jérémy Bernard. In 2011, the International Freeski Film Festival, or iF3, launched a photography contest to honor the work of still photographers. In the inaugural year, Bernard captured the Best European Photographer award and returned in 2012 to win Best European Cliché for this picture of skier Nicholas Falquet. "This is the second time for me to get an award at IF3. That’s an honor for me—it means that people like my work and are touched by it," Bernard says.
Near the end of a ski season with tumultuous weather, Bernard was on "stand by" in Arolla, Switzerland, with Falquet brothers Nicholas and Loris, waiting for a weather window to allow the trio to be dropped by heli at the top of a mountain.
“Spring light is still really soft in the morning on the north to northeast face of the mountain, so we got nice contrast and kept details in the shadows, while the sky was pitch black," Bernard says. "On top of that, I was just surrounded by big faces all covered with white snow. It’s like a big reflector was just pointing at the skier and lighting him a bit."
After shooting an initial line, Bernard noticed this scene to his left and asked Nicolas if it was safe to ski with the ice cliff below. Nicholas gave the OK and made the run. “A day like this morning happens twice in a whole season," Bernard says. "You just have to take your chance and don't let it go!”
Bernard photographed using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and f/2.8L USM, 70-200mm lens.
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Canyoneering Monmouth Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Photograph by Francois-Xavier De Ruydts
“This was just one moment of a challenging descent down 16 rappels with rushing waterfalls, nature-carved rock slides, and cliff jumps,” says veteran canyoneer Damien Briguet, whose dozen years in the sport include six working professionally out of Switzerland. “The water below was nice, but really cold—just ask the fish in the pool!” Briguet is seen in the "cave” of Monmouth Creek, located just outside of Squamish and about an hour north of Vancouver, British Columbia. “I'm part of a small canyoneering community in Vancouver. This is a new sport in western Canada, and we are all really excited to discover more wet canyons.”
Getting the Shot
Photographer Francois-Xavier De Ruydts met Briguet for the first time just a few days before the duo decided to explore the undescended Monmouth Creek. “That's what exploration is about,” says De Ruydts. “Basically, you don't know what you're doing or where you're going. Nobody knows what's around the corner. Exploration of canyons is a [huge] commitment—most of the time, the only way out is down.”
He calls Monmouth "a real natural wonder" with "16 rappels ranging from 5 meters to 45 meters. As the bird flies, it is no more than 500 meters long, but the elevation gain is about 600 meters. It is a very steep canyon."
The first full descent took a total of two days. “Managing your camera exposure is a nightmare in canyons. The water is almost pure white, the wetsuits are almost always black, and [the space] is often not more than ‘not very dark,’ says De Ruydts. “I shot this image from a very, very tricky spot. I was attached to my rope, standing in a super-slippery toboggan, which had been carved by water. The tripod was standing on this almost vertical rock and attached to my harness … that was pretty uncomfortable."
De Ruydts photographed with a Nikon D700 and carried a Nikkor f/2.8, 24-70mm lens and a Nikkor 50mm lens.
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Backcountry Skiing, North Cascades, Washington
Photograph by Ian Coble
After a slow start to the 2012 Washington State ski season, photographer Ian Coble and skier Tyler Ceccanti knew an approaching storm system meant snow was on the way to the North Cascades area.
As a former local resident, Coble knows the terrain well. "I've always loved this grove of trees," he says.
The day of the shoot, in early January 2012, Coble battled flat lighting conditions in the storm and was preparing to move locations when he saw this shot. "Right before I put my camera away, I wanted to take a few shots of the trees for scenic [photos]," he says. "When I aimed my camera into the sky, it added a contrast to the otherwise white landscape."
Then Ceccanti made the 20-foot jump, and Coble was ready.
"It was snowing incredibly hard when I shot this," he says. "I couldn't hold my lens in this position for long or it would get soaked with snow. I composed the shot, pre-focused on the pillow [Tyler hit], and then brought my camera down to shield the lens. Once Tyler got about 20 feet from the takeoff, I lifted my camera and recomposed at the last second. … It's the only way I could keep the lens clean."
Coble photographed with a Nikon D3 and 14-24mm lens.
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Free Climbing the Phoenix Wall, Vampire Peaks, Northwest Territories, Canada
Photograph by James Q Martin
“I was thinking about carefully placing my foot on a little crystal because the finger-size crack I was holding on to was muddy and slippery,” recalls climber Jeff Achey, seen halfway up the first free ascent of the 2,500-foot Phoenix wall in the Vampire Peaks.
The Vampire Peaks are remote granite towers about 25 miles from the Cirque of the Unclimbables in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Climbers, noting the Phoenix wall’s large chest, its prow, and its long “wings” that soar from the side, aptly named the formation. The range’s granite has protruding, walnut-size crystals that climbers can stand on and grab. “Those nice crystals are also pretty sharp—like little vampire bat fangs, actually,” says Achey.
Getting to prize, unclimbed terrain rife with first ascents like this was no small feat. Achey, who is based in New Castle, Colorado, drove more than 50 hours with expedition leader Pat Goodman to join Jeremy Collins and photographer James Q Martin in Watson Lake, Canada. They then flew 50 miles by bush plane to a put-in on the Nahanni River, where they rafted a hundred miles down the Class IV whitewater river. Finally they took an eight-mile helicopter ride to the base of the wall.
Getting the Shot
“I always dreamed of climbing the aesthetic and remote Cirque of the Unclimbables,” recalls photographer and climber James Q Martin. “When I was invited to the Vampire Spires, the Cirque’s lesser known peaks, I jumped on the chance. Although I never reached the Cirque, I was stoked to have the opportunity to be part of free climbing one of North America’s biggest unclimbed walls.
“On the helicopter ride into the mountain range, I saw the transparent glacier lake and immediately knew the glacier lake would offer a beautiful complement to my photos,” say Martin. The team fixed a thousand feet of rope before starting the first free ascent. After battling wet weather conditions, the team returned two days later for the historic climb. “The color in the flora and fauna, due to the earlier rain, gave everything a vibrant glow, saturating the landscape in pastel colors. The overcast weather that day made it seem like there was a large soft box on the entire environment, allowing for clean, shadowless images,” says Martin.
Martin photographed with a Nikon 5D Mark II camera and 16mm, f/2.8 fixed lens.
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Climbing Sea Stacks, Newfoundland, Canada
Photograph by Christian Pondella, Red Bull Content Pool
“If pirates got up these towers, they certainly were good climbers,” says Canadian climber and paraglider Will Gadd, seen with partner Sarah Hueniken on Skerwinkle Rock, a sea stack rising out of the ocean near East Trinity in Newfoundland, Canada. Legend has it that pirates left their treasure on top of the isolated rock formations by leaning their boat masts against the spire. “This climb had by far the worst rock I've ever climbed. It was more like climbing rotten ice than rock,” says Gadd. The pair relied on close teamwork to get up four sea stacks. While perhaps seeing birds land on the towers to eat the sea urchins and crabs they caught was not so surprising, Gadd was astonished to run into a huge colony of ants living on top of a 20-by-20-foot tower summit. “I have no idea how they survived for so long, as there was no way for them to reach the mainland,” says Gadd. “We felt like we were the only food they had seen in decades and had to run for our lives!”
Getting the Shot
Photographer Christian Pondella has worked with Gadd for many years. On Pondella’s third trip to Newfoundland, the team headed to see sea stacks Gadd had located on Google Earth. “Will and I have been on many great adventures together, and this was pretty similar to most," says Pondella. "We had an idea of what we were getting into but had no idea of how it would unfold when we got there.”
Pondella used rope to hang over the edge of a cliff adjacent to the sea stack and photographed from there. “Fortunately the sea stacks were close to the shore, so I was able to shoot them from the sea cliffs," says Pondella. "It was a perfect vantage point, I was the same height as the top of the sea stack.”
Though Pondella originally planned to feature more of the turquoise blue water surrounding the sea stack, Gadd’s climb brought different lighting. “The outline of the trees looks pretty cool and dramatic. The reality is, in a place this beautiful, once that sea stack had light on it, it was going to make for some beautiful photographs,” recalls Pondella.
Pondella photographed with a 14mm lens.
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Cycling in the Tour of Beijing, China
Photograph by PatitucciPhoto
Cyclists rush toward a steep descent in the Gao Ya Kou mountain range during stage three of the 2012 Tour of Beijing. In its second year, the five-stage Tour of Beijing—part of the UCI WorldTour, which includes the Tour de France—wound past Chinese landmarks such as Tiananmen Square, the Bird’s Nest Stadium, Summer Palace, the Great Wall, and the Ming Tomb Reservoir.
Getting the Shot
Photographer Dan Patitucci was thrilled to be covering the emerging Tour de Beijing race in a land where cycling races are still unusual. “My job was not just to photograph a bike race, but to present the race within the Chinese landscape and culture,” says Patitucci.
“There is a sizable cycling community around Beijing. Lots of fixies, racers, and bike commuters are interested in the sport. In less than an hour from the city, you are on the same roads as the racers,” says Patitucci, who photographed the race from a motorbike.
Entering stage three, Patitucci was warned that he was approaching a steep section. “I only knew that the descent was going to be steep and fast—and that the Chinese wanted to line the walls with padding,” recalls Patitucci. ”They told us at kilometer 88 the drop would come, and that until you were right there you couldn't see how much it dropped … they were right.”
Patitucci photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera, carrying lenses from 15mm to 200mm.
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Paragliding Above the Red Desert, Wyoming
Photograph by Nick Greece
“I fly for the joy and freedom—the views are mesmerizing,” says 25-year paragliding veteran Jon Hunt, who along with photographer Nick Greece flew for 200 miles on this seven-hour flight in August 2012, setting a distance record in the U.S. They launched out of Wilson, Wyoming, and flew for seven hours, passing the Teton Range, the Gros Ventre Range, and the Wind River Range to finish near Rawlins, Wyoming.
“Over the last 60 miles we flew over the amazing Red Desert of Wyoming, an incredible wilderness of high-altitude desert featuring fantastic rock formations and mineral deposits," recalls Hunt, who is based in Jackson, Wyoming. “This particular spot is amazing because of the remoteness and stark beauty of the desert landscape, but our entire flight path is a new classic.”
Getting the Shot
“Paragliders follow cloud streets in the sky that serve as visual markers for rising columns of air. We surf these columns of air, going as fast as 2,000 feet per minute,” says photographer and paraglider Greece.
“The bumps that you hit in an airplane, bumps that make folks gasp, are actually the huge air waves we are trying to ride and spiral to the cloud on,” says Greece. Shooting in about 20-frame intervals with his camera strapped in his harness, Greece finds himself photographing about 20 percent of his flight. The rest of his time is spent flying. “I chuckle sometimes when reviewing photos after a flight. I see frames where I had to literally drop the camera in my lap and grab control of the wing,” says Greece.
On this day in August, Greece and Hunt battled strong winds. “We were running to the one place that still had sun … That sun makes up a big part of this photo, and those rays are what propelled us over the sought-after 200-mile mark,” states Greece. “I still can think back to this day and visualize some of the climbs and amazing traversing of unbelievably beautiful lands. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared it with such a good friend and mentor, which is very rare in our sport. We were in the right place, at the right time.”
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Highlining the Needles, Sequoia National Forest, California
Photograph by Jeremiah Watt
“At this moment I was facing down canyon, which was a very exposed feeling!” says climber-highliner Scott Turpin, who was photographed at sunrise walking between two towers in the Needles in California's Sequoia National Forest. “The direct exposure to the notch was only about a hundred feet, but on all sides, the ground fell away quickly down to the Kern River thousands of feet below.”
To play in the Needles, Turpin and his friends had to hike three miles on a good trail followed by about a half mile of third-class scrambling to get to the world-class climbing destination. The line was rigged between two of the most prominent towers, the Sorcerer and the Charlatan.
“I could feel the sun moving quickly and saw it finally out of the corner of my eye,” Turpin recalls of the chilly morning. “The moment was brief, as are most perfect moments. I turned around, slid out on the line, found my breath, and walked back.”
Getting the Shot
“Two years ago, Scott and I had been to the Needles with a few other friends to rig and shoot, but due to high winds, the line never went up,” recalls photographer Jeremiah Watt. “[Scott] was headed for a rematch and wanted to know if I'd be interested in shooting."
Photographing from about 200 feet below the line, Watt planned his lighting and waited for the right moment. “There's a large granite spire just behind my lefthand side. I knew that first light would be stunning, but thought that as soon as the sun broke the horizon, it would throw the shadow of the spire across the face and spoil the image,” he says.
Instead, Mother Nature surprised the photographer. “The sun graced the shoulder behind me and tattooed this crisp silhouette of the pines on the face," Watt says. "If the sun had been a fraction higher or lower it wouldn't have worked. ‘F/8 and be there’ is an old photo mantra. Granted this is at F/5, but being there was the ticket.”
Watt used a Nikon D700 camera and a Nikon 16-35mm lens.
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Climbing Ali Baba, Aiglun, France
Photograph by Sam Bie
“This is one of the harder multipitch routes in this style, but it’s also one of the most beautiful,” says French climber Gérôme Pouvreau, seen here at the end of the fifth pitch on the eight-pitch, nearly thousand-foot Ali Baba route in Aiglun, southern France. “The colors are beautiful and only the song of birds breaks the silence. You’re going from discovery to discovery very high above the ground. It’s like an exploration.”
Pouvreau and his climbing partner, Florence Pinet, hiked for an hour and a half to arrive at this spot. “We started climbing at 7 a.m. and did not finish until 4 p.m.,” recalls Pouvreau. “I was very tired and still had to walk from the top back to the car.”
Getting the Shot
“I knew another part of this crag, but not Ali Baba, which translates to ‘hidden wall,’” says photographer Sam Bie. A strong climber himself, Bie climbed and photographed this route for the first time with Pouvreau on this trip. Bie relied on his climbing skills to get his shot. “It’s a bit acrobatic to climb along the wall and show the magnitude of the cliff. My vision was completely different than the climber’s,” Bie says.
Roped in and ready to capture Pouvreau on the long, hard pitch, Bie went into the shoot without a set photo in mind. “The rock dictates your inspiration,” he says. “There is no plan beforehand, beyond to be in place and be ready.”
Bie photographed with a Nikon D700 Nikkor 14-200mm lens.
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Kayaking the Nile Special, Uganda
Photograph by Michele Sibiloni, The New York Times/Redux
"Nile Special is considered one of the best big waves in the world—and it is," says Spanish kayaker Gerd Serrasolses. "Easy access, eddy service so you don't have to walk back up, warm water, beautiful landscapes, tropical fruits ... and the list goes on and on."
Serranoles and about 20 other kayakers arrived at Uganda's Kalagala Falls to run Nile Special and other White Nile rapids in February 2012. "You can just get a ride on a truck or a motorbike to put in almost anywhere on the river."
A new dam constructed upriver last year altered the flow of the river, a legendary kayaking and rafting location. "Despite losing all the top rapids due to the dam, the river still has a lot to offer,” Serrasolses says. "We had such fun times every day in the water and playing with the kids, who are always hanging out and want to talk and use your kayak."
Getting the Shot
Photojournalist Michele Sibiloni shot kayaking for the first time while covering a wave known as the Nile Special below Kalagala Falls. Familiar with a wide variety of extreme sports, Sibiloni knew he wanted to get a tight frame to capture the power of the river and get close to the action. “In order to impart the roughness and the power of those rapids, I needed to be at the same level as the kayaker,” he says. “I managed to get close to the water, where you can feel the water and its power.”
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Skiing the Swatch Skiers Cup, Valle Nevado, Chile
Photograph by Jeremy Bernard, Swatch Skiers Cup Chile 2012
“I was focused on my line and making a clean landing,” says skier Richard Permin of pulling off this straight big-air trick near Valle Nevado, Chile, during the big-mountain day of the Swatch Skiers Cup in early September 2012. In this competition, Team Americas and Team Europe go head to head. “There is more pressure during contests than when filming big productions, as I only have one chance to perform,” Permin says. “Stress management is key.” Difficult snow conditions prevented the French skier from attempting a more complex trick on that particular jump, though he still scored a point for Team Europe.
When “his” winter heads south, so does Permin. “At this time of year, I train a lot in the Southern Hemisphere for the coming winter season, learning new tricks,” says Permin, who also went surfing at Pichilemu while in Chile during this trip. “In that sense the Swatch Skiers Cup is a great opportunity for me to spend a week with the best riders in the world on Valle Nevado. We share some of our new tricks and I can see what the others are working on.”
Getting the Shot
“We went to the Valle Nevado backcountry by heli. It's pretty much the only way to reach this mountain,” says photographer Jeremy Bernard. Having previously photographed both in Chile and the first Swatch Skiers Cup, Bernard was familiar with the terrain. “Logistically, it's always a challenge to shoot this kind of event. The face is wide and the lines to ski are unlimited.”
“With experience, you know what locations and frames work best," he says. "I was lucky to see Richard skiing in front of me. He took this direction toward the cliff, and I knew it would be a great shot. I wanted to give the impression of a void and steepness. The light was just perfect at this moment; the sun hit the top of the cliff, leaving the landing in the shade. I can't control everything, but sometimes everything works perfectly.”
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Ultra Trail Running in the French Alps
Photograph by Tim Kemple
“Give your best effort, no matter how you are feeling, and you can always feel proud,” is the encouragement 28-year-old ultra trail runner Mike Foote gives his Missoula, Montana, track-and-field high school students—and it helped him power into a third place finish in the 10th The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) last weekend in the French Alps. “At the 50-kilometer mark, I started to run hard, getting extra energy from my sister and the cheering crowds in the aid stations. I thought to myself, It doesn’t matter what spot I get in, as long as I give my best effort.”
This year the UTMB, the grueling trail race based out of Chamonix, France—widely considered the hardest in Europe—was altered just hours before the start due to excessive snowfall and freezing temperatures in the high mountain passes. The course was cut from 100 miles to 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) and was run through the night—in constant rain—so that most runners would finish in daylight. This meant the fastest runners finished at daybreak—and had no views of the legendary mountains in the birthplace of modern mountaineering and extreme skiing.
Fortunately there was some sunshine for Foote—before the race, as seen in this shot of the runner on a training run after just arriving days before the race.
“We were up at Flégère above the valley,” says Foote, who took tenth in the 2011 UTMB. “It was great to be able to see the Alps while running the trails—and, because of the change with the race, turned out to be my one chance to see my surroundings.”
Getting the Shot
“I’ve shot trail running all around the world, and no place that I’ve been has the accessibility to [high alpine] backgrounds as Chamonix,” says photographer and climber Tim Kemple. “You go to Patagonia or the Rockies and you see this beautiful peak above you, but you come to Chamonix, and you’re looking across to summits and glaciers.”
Kemple, who has shot the UTMB for the past four years, helped Foote find this spectacular trail from Col Les Montes to Flégère in the Alps to stretch out his legs. They shot at noon, instead of the preferred light of sunrise or sunset, due to Foote’s packed pre-race schedule.
“There’s a misconception in outdoor photography that you want the sun over your shoulder to light your subject, but the reality is you need shadows to do justice to your subject and the landscape,” says Kemple. “I grew up shooting slide film that didn’t have the dynamic range of digital photography. Now there’s so much information in the shadows that you can get great shots in all kinds of light.”
Kemple photographed with a Nikon D800 and a 24-70mm lens.
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Kayaking Seymour Canyon, British Columbia, Canada
Photograph by Jordan Manley
“Seymour Canyon is my favorite place to kayak. It is one of the most beautiful runs I have ever done, and I don't have to travel far to get to it,” says longtime kayaker John Irvine, who first ran this river about 20 years ago. “When we first ran it in the early nineties, we were amazed that it was not more commonly run. It was hard but not that hard.” The igneous canyon with a lush rain forest canopy overhead encloses Class IV rapids, assesses Irvine. “What made it most classic is the fact that it is in the heart of the city of North Vancouver, a five-minute drive from my current residence. We were awestruck.”
To get to the put-in for this shot, Irvine bushwhacked into the canyon down a tiny creek tributary just above that rapid. “It was the hardest part of the day because the creek was completely overgrown with devil’s club, a really nasty, prickly plant that is quite common on the West Coast,” says Irvine. “I don't recommend hiking though thick devil’s club in surf shorts.”
Getting the Shot
Photographer Jordan Manley worked with Irvine to capture the aerial photo of the Seymour River that he had in mind for a personal photo book project. “The book is about the amazing landscapes we have in the corridor from Vancouver to Whistler and the ways people have found to explore them. As a landscape closely tethered to a metropolis, I think this corridor is very special, and I feel lucky to call such a place home,” says Manley.
To get the shot, Manley and Irvine scouted locations along the canyon where Manley could be rigged with ropes above the river. “I have two friends who work professionally as rope-access technicians. They rigged a Tyrolean across the canyon so I could be suspended directly above the canyon. We planned carefully, so I was hanging exactly above where I wanted to shoot John, as well as where the light graced the wall of the canyon,” recalls Manley.
Manley captured the cool, blue-cast light he wanted for the image by shooting on a cloudy day. “I had a specific kind of light in mind for this shot. Soft light works best to reveal the intricacies of the canyon, water, and foliage. And rain before a shoot helps to bring out a pop of color in the greenery.” The crew set out for the day with a rainy forecast. “We got our shots and then it turned sunny. Lucky!” says Manley.
Manley photographed with a Nikon D4 camera and a Nikon 17-35mm lens.
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Big-Wave Surfing Pico Alto, Peru
Photograph by Richard Hallman
“For me, there is no more exhilarating feeling than being in the ocean when it’s in its wildest state,” says big-wave surfer Greg Long, seen here on a 40-foot wave in the final heat of the Billabong Big Wave World Tour in Pico Alto, Peru, in August 2012. Located near the town of Punta Hermosa, about an hour south of Lima, the right-hand, point-break waves form about a half mile off shore but are visible from a cliff above. Surfers don’t tow in but rather use their own strength and mental stamina to paddle in and ride these giant waves.
“I spend countless hours methodically training and preparing to ride big waves,” says Long, who readies himself by focusing on personal fitness and by having both the right equipment for the conditions and knowledge of how the swell conditions affect the way the waves break, making him one of the best in his sport. “Fear is ever present. Harnessing and containing it is a huge driving force behind why I ride big waves.”
Getting the Shot
Big-wave competitions constantly throw new challenges at both surfers and photographers, and this competition was no exception. "You plan out your day in your mind, and those plans are quickly scrapped as Jet Skis fail—four failed and one sank on this trip," says veteran surf photographer Richard Hallman. "You find every way to play cat-and-mouse with these monster waves. All the while, you're looking for creative ways to capture the energy, power, and grace of both rider and wave alike.”
As the competition wound down, Hallman was in position to capture Long. "This was one of the most beautiful waves of the day, or maybe I just had perfect positioning. Either way, Greg took off on this bomb," says Hallman. As he was shooting, Hallman's camera froze. "My heart stopped, and I looked down to see the two words every photographer loves at a moment like this: card full," jokes Hallman. Once his camera froze, Hallman could only watch as Long rode the growing barrel and flew past. “It was a moment I will never forget and wish I could share.”
Hallman photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.
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Climbing the Aguja Frey, Lake District of Northern Patagonia, Argentina
Photograph by Forest Woodward
“I was superconcentrated on my climbing,” recalls climber Luli Murakami, seen here on a route known as Sifuentes Weber on the Aguja Frey, located in a haven of granite needles overlooking the Patagonian Andes. The Argentine climber was leading on the last pitch, after a crack ends and where a rock face begins and leads to the summit. “This was a very fun route," she says. "The needle also has many other options to climb—some are really hard. Whatever route you choose, the view is always spectacular.”
In the background is Tomcek Lagoon, Catedral Hill on the right, and El Piramidal needle at the bottom of the lagoon.
"Argentina is a great place to climb because it has many amazing spots offering a wide variety of styles, different types of rock, beautiful landscapes, and friendly people," Murakami says. "There are many places to explore and open new routes."
Getting the Shot
During his first assignment in Patagonia, photographer Forest Woodward wasn’t certain how smoothly the shoot would work out. His is nerves were quickly calmed. “After 48 hours in transit, we finally hiked over the ridge that overlooks Frey, and I couldn't help but smile to myself," he recalls. "The place is so breathtakingly beautiful that it was hard to take a bad picture.”
“I knew I wanted to get a shot on the Aguja Frey that showed not just the route, but the natural beauty of the surrounding cirque and the lake below,” he says. With the sun behind him, casting harsh shadows on Murakami’s climbing route, Woodward momentarily thought the shot wouldn’t work. “Luckily a cloud passed over the sun for a few quick seconds, evening out the light on the rock and eliminating my cast shadow, and I was able to snap this frame,” says Woodward, who found himself climbing, rappelling, and shooting with a recently fractured hand.
Woodward shot with a Canon 5d Mark II, 16-35 Canon f2.8 L series, and a Singh-Ray 2-stop soft graduated ND filter.
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Trail Running, Åreskutan Mountain, Åre, Sweden
Photograph by Mattias Fredriksson
"A really bad storm rolled in so we had to stop, but not before getting drenched," says Swede Emma Gustafsson, seen in this dramatic shot just before the sky opened up above Rödkulle Trail on Åreskutan Mountain, located outside of Åre, Sweden. "I am a competitive Nordic skier, so trail running is a natural part of my training, especially in the off-season when I can't train on snow," she recalls. "This wasn't such a long run—it was only about five miles—but it had lots of up and downs because it was on the mountain."
Getting the Shot
“The backdrop toward Snasahögarna was stunning,” says photographer Mattias Fredriksson. The strong storm that hit was a surprise, and Fredriksson knew the dramatic clouds would be a great component for the shoot. “When you shoot sports in nature, you gotta go with the flow and make quick decisions when the weather changes,” says Fredriksson. “The storm got pretty intense. It was pouring rain over us just moments after this shot.”
Fredriksson photographed with a Nikon D3s camera and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.
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Kayaking the Kokatahi River, South Island, New Zealand
Photograph by Miles Holden, Red Bull Content Pool
"Most of the rivers on New Zealand's West Coast, including this one, required the use of helicopters to kayak them, as they are so remote and inaccessible," says professional paddler Ben Brown, seen here from above on the spectacular Kokatahi River. "It is a surreal experience to strap your kayak onto the skid of a tiny helicopter and be flown into the middle of nowhere."
On this 35-day, countrywide exploratory expedition, the team ran 17 of New Zealand's best rivers for the upcoming film Flow Hunters. "Luckily for me, on this run I had a smooth line through the rapid," Brown recalls. "But further downstream one of our team members was sucked under a huge boulder and almost drowned. It was a very frightening experience, and we were very lucky it had a positive outcome."
Getting the Shot
New Zealand photographer Miles Holden worked alongside a Red Bull film crew to capture incredible still images of the Red Bull Flow Hunters team kayaking the extremely challenging Kokatahi.
The Kokatahi has a steep decent that makes photographing from a helicopter necessary. “The river is steep and tight, with very little opportunity to stop along the way. Once the kayakers drop in, they are committed,” Holden says.
Working with Red Bull producer Jon Forder, the team communicated with the helicopter pilot to find the best height and angle from which to shoot. The film crew was in radio contact with the kayakers tackling the river below. “I had to open the chopper door at different sections and shoot leaning out,” recalls Holden. “The aerial view allowed images to be captured in a way that is quite unique. This is a moment that sums up the river quite well.”
Holden photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.
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Surfing the Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photograph by Chris Burkard
"This was my first time surfing the Arctic Circle," says southern California-based surfer Dane Gudauskas, who hadn't seen snow for a decade before this trip. "My face felt swollen from the cold, my body felt sluggish, but I was filled with so much excitement that I felt like I could surf all day." Surfers Keith Malloy, Pat Million, and Sam Hammer were also part of this exploratory trip in Norway, where the weather would flip from blaring sunshine to sideways hail, sleet, and snow in an instant.
"We would get our wetsuits on in the house, then walk down the ice-covered road to the beach, then walk into snow that was sometimes up to our waists—all just to reach the water's edge," recalls Gadauskas, whose group was aided by some local surfers who showed them them around. "When the water hit any exposed skin, it would burn like fire until your body temperature could warm up from paddling. Only then could you get the mojo working."
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Crack Climbing Trout Creek, Oregon
Photograph by Garrett Grove
"There are thousands of miles of columnar basalt throughout the Columbia Plateau, but Trout Creek is special," says climber Blake Herrington, seen here on an approximately 90-foot route called Purple Pinky Eater, rated a 5.12. "For just a quarter mile or so, the rock quality is stellar, forming steep cracks and blank arêtes where the holds don't break, the cracks don't crumble, and the gear will hold."
On this trip, Herrington and fellow climbers Scott Bennett and Matthew Van Bien were out to spend a few days climbing one-pitch rock climbs. "We wanted to climb in Trout Creek because it is in the middle of a desert, yet within an easy drive from the temperate rain forests of much of the Northwest," recalls Herrington, who had a severely injured finger that luckily did not prevent him from climbing this crack. When not climbing, the group enjoyed hanging out with the crowd of fly-fishermen at the campground and playing desert-terrain bocce ball.
Getting the Shot
Having previously climbed at Trout Creek in central Oregon, photographer Garrett Grove returned with one focus—shooting great images.
“The biggest challenge is getting new angles of cracks that more or less look the same,” says Grove. “When I was there the first time, I noticed the contrast of lines, texture, and color between the standing basalt columns and the older fallen ones.” In order to get the shot, he jugged up a fixed rope to the right of Purple Pinky Eater and set up above Herrington’s climbing route.
Grove photographed using a Nikon D4 camera, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens, and a Singh-Ray 3-stop soft graduated neutral density filter.
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Surfing Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji
Photograph by Thomas Servais, A-Frame
See the World's Best Surf Towns Photo Gallery
On June 8, 2012, the Volcom Fiji Pro competition was temporarily called off due to dangerous conditions—which was good news for the handful of big-wave surfers who had traveled to Tavarua to watch and wait for the world-class oceanic lefthander Cloudbreak to go huge. Here Hawaiian surfer Reef McIntosh is seen on a massive wave. Photographer Tom Servais was there to shoot the action.
“It was unusual that so many big-wave surfers showed up for this swell. It's always a gamble relying on weather reports,” says Servais, who was already in Fiji to cover the contest and surf. “It was one of the biggest swells ever," he recalls. "A few waves at the end of the day were considered some of the biggest waves ever at Cloudbreak.”
Cloudbreak is located two miles off Tavarua and is the best and closest spot to access the wave. “The hardest part about shooting Cloudbreak is getting there,” says Servais. The trip included an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles, a taxi to the beach, and a boat ride to the wave break.
Servais watched the swell grow all day and captured surfer McIntosh courageously surfing the explosive waves. “It was exciting watching the swell get bigger and bigger all day,” recalls Servais, who captured the action from a boat.
Servais photographed with two Canon bodies, a 300mm f/2.8 lens and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, all kept safe in a Pelican hard case.
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Paragliding Ngorongoro Crater National Park, Tanzania
Photograph by Thomas de Dorlodot, Red Bull Content Pool
Spaniard Horacio Llorens is seen paragliding over Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater National Park. This was one stop along a four-month expedition from Egypt to South Africa to find the best, most remote places to fly. The active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai is on the left.
"On this day, I landed in the top of the volcano and I couldn't take off again because of strong winds," recalls Llorens, "so I had to spend the night on top of the volcano, alone, without any food. But it was a thousand-star hotel room." He used his paraglider as a mattress and sleeping bag on the sharp volcanic rock. "It was actually pretty comfortable," he says. When he finally took flight when conditions allowed, he had an incredible view of the valley below. See the story in this video.
Getting the Shot
“Taking the picture is not as difficult in the end. The main challenge is flying,” notes photographer Thomas de Dorlodot. Flying at 2,800 meters, Dorlodot photographed Llorens sailing near the giant volcano. “I wanted to get both Horacio and the volcano in the frame. Horacio’s glider gave scale to this mighty volcano,” says Dorlodot.
“The biggest challenge for me was to shoot pictures and fly a paraglider at the same time. It feels like shooting from a motorbike. You drive, frame your photo, and control your settings, all at the same time,” says Dorlodot.
Dorlodot used a Canon 7D and Canon 24-105mm VR lens, with a UV filter.
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Speed Climbing the Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite, California
Photograph by Paul Hara
"Wow, I'm surprisingly tired," thought rock climber Alex Honnold, 26, at this moment while speed climbing the Nose on El Capitan with Hans Florine, now 48, to set a new record on June 17, 2012. "This was actually the hardest move on the final bolt ladder, a really long pull over a slight bulge, and my one arm was kind of wilting," says the 2011 Adventurer of the Year, seen in the shade on this 90-degree day. Florine and Honnold set a new record of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds, shaving almost 13 minutes off the previous record set by Dean Potter and Sean Leary in November 2010. (Watch Honnold free solo in this video "Alone on the Wall.")
"Hans was an awesome climbing partner. We both climb in a similar style, so it was easy to work together," says Honnold, who had just completed a solo linkup on El Capitan, Mount Watkins, and Half Dome in less than 19 hours a week before starting on the Nose. "And to be fair, I learned most of what I know about speed climbing from his book on the subject." Florine has held the Nose speed-climbing record eight times over the past 22 years.
"Once we both made it to the top, we just sat and smiled for a while. No real celebration, but we felt some pretty deep contentment," notes Honnold, who is shifting his focus to bouldering. "Hans partied with his family the rest of the day—it was Father's Day afterall."
Getting the Shot
“It was very exciting to be hanging 3,000 feet in the air and hear the cheers of spectators in El Capitan meadow, as [Alex Honnold and Hans Florine] completed each milestone,” recalls photographer and climber Paul Hara.
Two weeks before the record-setting climb, Hara began setting up his shot, stowing camping gear and setting ropes to rappel the last pitch of the climb. The day before the attempt, he rappelled into place to ensure he had the right lenses for the job.
Originally, Hara planned to communicate with Jackie Florine, who was tracking the climbers’ progress, but the excitement of the moment broke communication. Luckily Hara was able to tune his radio to other spectators and track Alex’s ascent. “When we were told that Alex had cleared the Great Roof, I decided to rappel down, into position.”
“I could only start to see the climbers when they were about 200 feet from me. The crowd was cheering loudly, and I realized the old speed record was likely going to be broken,” says Hara. “When Alex saw me hanging near the top he said ‘good morning,’ in a casual, but breathless voice.”
Hara photographed with a Nikon D4 and 24-120mm, f/4 lens.
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First Descent of Marble Fork Gorge, Sequoia National Park, California
Photograph by Jared Johnson
"The rivers of California's Sierra Nevada are to kayakers what the big walls of Yosemite are to climbers," says expedition kayaker Ben Stookesberry. "And Marble Fork Gorge was one of the great unfinished puzzles." Located on the Kaweah River in California's Sequoia National Park, the 2,000-foot-deep canyon's walls are sheer and often overhanging for a thousand feet—making an exit impossible.
To solve the puzzle, Stookesberry and kayaker Chris Korbulic enlisted big-wall climbers Forrest Noble and Jared Johnson. "The first portage into the gorge turned into a sketchy, 700-foot aided traverse and rappel that was definitely the most stressful part for me," says Stookesberry. "But with Forrest and JJ along, all the rope system changes, routes, and other techniques were super dialed and efficient. It was an amazing learning experience in that respect."
Once they had lowered their boats into the gorge, Korbulic agreed to paddle first. "We knew the first person to go would have no safety. Chris is one of the only kayakers in the world who could be in this spot," says Stookesberry. Here they are seen dropping through the Spout below Twizzler Falls and above Yule Creek Slide. "We both paid to play in Marble Gorge," says Stokesberry, who separated a rib on the last 90-foot drop. Korbulic broke his hand in the Twizzler.
"Chris and I have kayaked bigger drops, but never a sequence like this and never locked into a gorge," says Stookesberry. "This in concert with the most technical portage probably ever accomplished with a kayak put the Marble Fork at the top of my list as the hardest river I have ever run."
Getting the Shot
“I've never been part of such an epic undertaking to run a section of river. I'm not sure if there has been one,” recalls Jared Johnson, who took this photograph. The expert climber joined Stookesberry, Korbulic, and Eric Seymour to blend expedition kayaking and big-wall climbing as never before. “Forrest [Noble] and I were the climbing guys on the expedition," says Johnson. "When we both first saw where Ben wanted to enter the river with boats, we both told him he was nuts.”
After eight days of climbing in unusually cold weather, it was time to paddle. Johnson communicated with Stookesberry and Korbulic with radios until they entered the river and prepared to shoot.
“Chris went first on the long first slide we'd dubbed the Twizzler. At the end of the slide, Chris hit the wall on the left hard, flipped forward, upside down, and ran the last part of the slide upside down. It didn't look good,” says Johnson. Luckily, Johnson was able to tell Stookesberry how to maneuver past the trouble spot. “Ben was only two feet right of Chris's line, but just far enough to avoid the rock Chris had collided with.”
Johnson photographed with a Nikon D7000 and 70-200mm.
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Solar Eclipse Skiing, Mount Shasta, California
Photograph by Patrick Orton
"All of a sudden it became eerily dim and quiet as we snapped this shot," recalls skier Lynsey Dyer of this moment on Mount Shasta during the recent solar eclipse. "We couldn't comprehend what was happening, but it felt profound and maybe even a bit scary." Skier Megan Kelly organized this once-in-a-lifetime trip with Dyer, Lizet Christiansen, Ashley Magnuson, and Sierra Quitiquit to summit and then shred down the mountain during the rare alignment in the cosmos.
Getting the Shot
Photographer Patrick Orton scouted the mountain for the perfect vantage point. “I spotted an ideal location halfway up Shasta that would show the skier in the foreground of the eclipse," says Orton. "We nearly sprinted up the mountain to get to our shoot location.”
The moon was covering 2/3rds of the sun when this photo was taken. “This photo was the first frame I snapped during the eclipse and Lynsey nailed it," says the Sandpoint, Idaho-based photographer. "It was lighting I had never seen before and we were all in awe of what was taking place in front of us.”
As the eclipse progressed, the skiers heard hoots and howls echo across the valleys of Shasta.
Orton photographed with a Canon 5D Mark II and 16-35mm 2.8L lens.
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Climbing the Great Arch, Getu Valley, China
Photograph by Sam Bie, Petzel/Solent News/Rex USA
“Danny is an incredible climber—a machine!” says photographer Sam Bie of shooting climber Danny Andrada on Corazón de Ensueño, an eight-pitch route on Chuanshang Cave, also known as the Great Arch, in southwestern China’s Getu Valley. This may be the hardest continual, overhanging sport-climbing route in the world. The Great Arch is 164 feet high, 230 feet across, and 449 feet long.
After climbing for an hour, Bie was in position to capture the photo he planned for. “The perfect place for me to shoot was across from Danny’s route, aligned with the middle of the arch, about 525 feet above the ground,” he says.
Getting into position to shoot can take hours, and Bie often has long waits between photographing climbers. “I fell asleep twice in my harness!" he says. "Being rigged into ropes is my ‘office.’ I slept at work.” recalls Bie.
Bie photographed with a Nikon D300 and a Nikon AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED lens.
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Kayak Surfing Nelscott Reef, Oregon
Photograph by Richard Hallman
"There is something about knowing a mistake can have pretty severe consequences that makes moments like these feel extra special," says champion extreme kayaker Tao Berman, who waited four years before all the pieces fell together to kayak surf this monster wave at Nelscott Reef, located about a half mile offshore in Oregon.
Berman took on big-wave surf kayaking to keep challenging himself after setting three world records and mastering freestyle kayaking. But the kayaking legend has hung up his competition paddle: "So far retirement has been great," he says. "I’ve been spending time with my nine-month-old daughter and doing lots of sports."
Getting the Shot
Nelscott Reef is one of the toughest breaks that photographer Richard Hallman has ever shot, he says. It has a rough entry point leading to 15- to 20-foot waves. “The only way out to greet this beast is through the most gnarly, freezing, shark-infested beach break,” he says.
Shooting from the channel between the north and south reef, Hallman was able to capture Berman kayaking the wave. “On one wave in particular, we watched for a breathless moment as Tao got caught inside a massive wave," Hallman says. The kayaker was torn from his boat, a rare occurrence for the pro. “One of the rescue teams came over and said Tao was asking for me," recalls Hallman, a former ER nurse and EMT who thought his skills might be needed to aid Berman. “When I got there, [Berman] just wanted me to document his bloody nose. He’s a tough customer.”
Hallman used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a 70-200mm lens and an Aquatec waterhouse.
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Climbing Lost Arrow Spire Tip, Yosemite National Park, California
Photograph by Ben Horton
"Extreme environments are inspiring to me, so I felt right at home," says climber Brad Wilson, seen here at the top of the first pitch, about 2,500 feet above the valley floor, at a belay point on Lost Arrow Spire Tip near Upper Yosemite Falls. "The waterfall was generating a mellow roar, perfect to muffle the chaos of tourists and vehicles on the valley floor."
After hiking seven miles, Wilson and climbing partner Gil Weiss had rappelled to the notch between the valley rim and the Spire Tip to begin climbing. Although the route is only two pitches long, the spire's summit features one of the most spectacular views in Yosemite. "I'd always wanted to stand on that summit," recalls Wilson, who is currently roaming the Sierras in his vehicle with his climbing gear.
Getting the Shot
“Lost Arrow Spire is a super classic climb," says photographer Ben Horton, who shoots a variety of adventure subjects and received the first National Geographic Young Explorers Grant. "It offers an amazing view of nearly everything in Yosemite Valley."
“This was my first time at the spire, so I had no clue as to how I'd shoot it,” recalls Horton. The Los Angeles, California-based photographer ended up rappelling down over the valley rim's edge and hung nearly 3,000 feet in the air to shoot while Wilson and Weiss climbed. "The evening light hit the spire perfectly and lit it up while the valley below was covered in shadows.”
Horton photographed with a Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70mm L lens, and a BlackRapid camera strap.
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Highlining in Koh Yao Noi, Phuket, Thailand
Photograph by Scott Rogers
"Should I grab the stalactite with my hands or turn around on my feet like a real pro?" recalls slackliner-photographer Jared Alden of this moment on an unusual stalactite highline on Koh Yao Noi island in Phuket, Thailand.
Lured by the country's unique limestone, ten slacklining friends spent a month in Thailand establishing new climbing routes and highlines—and partaking of the local culture's fresh, healthy food, world-renowned massages, and friendly scene. "We really got creative with our shenanigans on this trip," says Alden, who lives with his family in Pennsylvania. "We rigged slacklines at the beach, waterlines off piers and cliffs, high waterlines with tourists kayaking below, and even a highline between the masts of a pirate ship."
Getting the Shot
After driving through a jungle, wading through a cave system, and climbing the backside of the cave, two team members lowered themselves 120 feet to the base of this stalactite and secured the line about 300 feet above the water. “One of the main challenges for this line was finding an anchor point on the stalactite that was strong enough to hold the slackline … and also wouldn't drop off the end!” says photographer and slackliner Scott Rogers.
To capture the shot, Rogers hung from a rope adjacent to the highline and used his widest lens to frame both Alden and the cave formations. Rogers had to maneuver around eight other people hanging nearby to get the photo he wanted. But the climate and terrain may have held the biggest challenge. “Thailand was pretty rough on all our gear, from corroded biners to fogged image sensors, but we brought enough of everything to last through the trip,” he says.
Rogers photographed with a Nikon D80 and 16-85mm lens.
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Climbing Era Bella in Margalef, Spain
Photograph by Keith Ladzinski
"While climbing a hard route, everything else fades away. I am only thinking about the movement in front of me, the next sequence, what I am holding on to, and my breath," says 19-year-old climbing phenom Sasha DiGiulian, seen on Era Bella, graded 5.14d, in the sport-climbing mecca of Margalef, Spain. "These isolated thoughts are part of the thrill of climbing—nothing else in the world matters in that moment."
On April 26, 2012, DiGiulian reached the top of Era Bella, considered the hardest route completed by a woman, after working on it for more than three days over two trips. The feat was another feather in the cap of a woman who, in the past year, became the first American woman to climb a 5.14d route (Red River Gorge's Pure Imagination), won the overall gold at the climbing world championships, and captured her third consecutive national sport-climbing title.
"I wanted to climb Era Bella because it is a challenging, beautiful route," she says. "Even when my hands were bleeding and hurt from the rock's pockets cutting my skin, I kept going because I knew the experience of doing the route was worth more than a few bloody fingers."
Getting the Shot
Having previously photographed the Era Bella climbing route in Margalef, photographer Keith Ladzinski was prepared to capture DiGiulian on the difficult route. Ladzinski worked around a film crew to get his shot.
“The route itself was so athletically engaging that the expressions and body positions of Sasha were exciting to shoot,” he recalls. “Knowing you could be shooting a historic moment is always a great feeling.”
He adds: “I do my best to keep the frame sharp and precisely composed while paying strict attention for notable moments. The whole time I'm thinking ‘This could be it!’ "
Ladzinski used a Nikon D3 camera and Nikon 24mm f/1.4 lens.
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Mountain Biking Mary's Loop Trail, Fruita, Colorado
Photograph by Anne Keller
"This is so incredibly beautiful—I am so lucky to be here," thought mountain biker Candace Shadley (right), seen here with fellow rider Julie Gamache on Mary's Loop, which begins as double-track and then turns to single-track here as it contours the Colorado River. The pair stood at this point to take in the sunset and wait for just the right light. When the moment came, the duo sprang into action.
"Mary's Loop is a fantastic place for riding, full of rocky trails, beautiful views, and great weather," says Shadley, who founded the Trek Dirt Series, a 12-year-old instructional biking program that offers 18 camps annually, mostly for women, throughout the American West. "It's a bit hot in the summer, but that just means you ride early or late."
Getting the Shot
“The last half mile of the trail is where things get interesting,” says photographer Anne Keller of Mary’s Loop trail. Keller originally planned to shoot at Horsethief Bench Trail, but the cloudy sky and impending storm forced her to adapt and rally the riders to race the storm and bike to Mary’s Loop.
“That shoot ended up presenting one of the most unique lighting situations that I've seen out here,” recalls Keller. “The light broke through with a band of pink for several minutes and the looming storm cast the landscape with a strange blue tone.”
To capture the unusual lighting, Keller closed down her aperture and shot toward the west, exposing for the striking, saturated sky. “The combination of light, clouds, and lightning all felt electric at that moment; I didn't want to leave,” says Keller.
Keller shot with a Nikon D3 camera and Nikon 16-35mm f/2.8 lens at f/22, 1/15th of a second.
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Backcountry Skiing in Neff's Canyon, Wasatch Mountains, Utah
Photograph by Mike Schirf
"I go into auto mode once I'm in the air," says freeskier Tyler Peterson, seen here in a 360 true tail, a trick that involves grabbing the skis' tails while making a full revolution in the air. "All the thinking and visualization happens before I ride off the jump."
Peterson and photographer Mike Schirf hiked for three hours and 3,500 vertical feet to take this shot in Neff's Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains backcountry. The pair strategically built a jump with a view of Salt Lake City, which has 11 ski resorts and ample backcountry offerings within an hour of the airport. "By this point it was about 6:30 p.m., and it was very difficult to see my landing," says the Salt Lake City-based ski halfpipe competitor. "But I had already hit the jump several times while the sunlight was fading away, so I knew how long I needed to be in the air to land smoothly."
Getting the Shot
Photographer Schirf worked carefully to find the right exposure to capture Salt Lake City's bright lights and Peterson mid-trick at dusk. When the dramatic sunset they had hoped for did not appear, Schirf used gels to add another element to the scene. "Gels are a great way to add a new element to a photo," says Schirf, who doesn’t typically work with gels. "It definitely has to be the right situation, but I think when used well, they can make a photo.”
Schirf photographed this shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
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Kayaking Toketee Falls, Oregon
Photograph by Charlie Munsey
"At this moment I was about to toss my paddle and tuck up for landing," says kayaker Fred Norquist. "Coming over the lip was an incredible view!"
To get to Toketee Falls, which drop more than 65 feet into the North Umpqua River, this group of five kayakers had to do rope-assisted climbing down into the gorge—which included lowering their boats as well. "Once you are in the gorge you are pretty committed to running the falls," says the Bellingham, Washington-based paddler. "There is a 20-foot-tall waterfall shortly above this last drop. We ran the 20-footer, then ran the final drop."
Only six people have run this waterfall. Kayaker Chris Korbulic claimed the first decent in 2011. On this spring day in April 2012, all five paddlers—including Norquist, Evan Garcia, Kyle Hull, Erik Johnson, and Sam Friehofer—had successful runs. "None of us got injured and everyone had great lines on the waterfall," recalls Norquist, who contributes to Bomb Flow Magazine. "It was a picture perfect day."
Getting the Shot
An Oregon native, photographer Charlie Munsey shot Toketee Falls 15 years earlier and had hoped to return to photograph a kayaker descending the impressive falls. “The main challenge of capturing this moment was the combination of getting the right water level and a group of kayakers that could mentally and physically pull it off,” says Munsey. The remote Toketee Falls are Class V rapids.
To capture the kayakers and create horizontal framing, Munsey scaled a steep cliff and set up 30 feet above the water. Kayakers at the top of the falls shouted to Munsey as Norquist approached the falls' crest, and Munsey steadied himself to shoot. “I have to admit, the moment was so powerful that I was shaking a little bit,” he says.
Munsey took this shot with a Nikon D700 camera body and a Nikkor 70-200mm, f/2.8 lens.
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Climbing Portal Peak, Banff National Park, Canada
Photograph by Paul Zizka
"The rock was loose and crumbly—it was a precarious perch that both scared and intrigued me equally," recalls local climber Rossel Sabourin, seen here scaling the "Flower Pot," a rock tower on Portal Peak in Banff National Park, Canada. Sabourin and his girlfriend had admired the rock feature every morning from Num-Ti-Jah Lodge on the shores of Bow Lake, where they are the innkeepers. On this day, a group of friends decided to explore the peak in perfect, sunny conditions. "From the top of the pot, the panoramic view was incredible: the turquoise waters of Bow Lake, the iconic red roof of our lodge, and the Wapta Icefield spilling into the lake."
Getting the Shot
“The Wapta Icefield is notorious for its whiteouts and powerful storms, even in the summer,” says photographer Paul Zizka. “Portal Peak itself is very seldom visited, partly because of the poor quality of its rock,” he says. “It’s not a particularly technical peak, but does require a significant amount of elevation gain. It is fairly dangerous down-climbing, including glacier travel, as well as dealing with some of the worst rock, in an already shaky mountain range."
“I definitely wanted to stop by this feature on the way to the summit, but didn’t expect anyone would venture onto the tower itself. When Rossel did just that, the photo opp became obvious,” Zizka says. “I was limited in terms of angles to shoot. The Flower Pot is flanked by precipitous drops on most sides."
To capture this image, Zizka used a Canon 5D camera body and Canon 17-40mm lens at f/4.0.
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Surfing Teahupoo, Tahiti
Photograph by Brian Bielmann
Surfer Nathan Fletcher’s amazing ride at Teahupoo, Tahiti, was captured by photographer Brian Bielmann in August 2011. “This was the heaviest day anyone had ever surfed or photographed," recalls Bielmann. Fletcher’s incredible ride and Bielmann’s photo are nominated for the Monster Tube Award in the 2012 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.
“We had the most fearless boat driver in Tahiti and that’s the reason I got the shot,” says Bielmann. The other boats in the area were already at the top of the wave looking down or on the other side of the wave, but Bielmann’s boat remained. “Nathan caught this wave and was below sea level from my angle. Then we watched him ride the biggest tube ever ridden, all the way through, before finally being taken over by the wave,” an amazed Bielmann recalls.
Unusually large swells often create unusual situations. “The waves were so big this day, they were rushing up the shore and slamming into people's homes, dragging all kinds of things back into the ocean. At one point, I saw a refrigerator floating through the lineup. When I got home, we realized it was our fridge that I had photographed,” says Bielmann.
“After the wave closed, I looked at my viewfinder and saw this shot, but it’s hard to tell if things are sharp on the water," Bielmann recalls. "When I finally saw the photo, I knew it was the best shot I had ever taken in my life.”
Bielmann photographed this image using a Canon EOS-1D Mark III, with a Canon EF 70-200mm, f/4.0 L USM lens.
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Snowboarding Methven, New Zealand
Photograph by Jeff Curtes
“Jussi is a pure freestyler, a fantastic jumper, and a really good and stylish jibber,” says photographer Jeff Curtes of shooting with Burton rider Jussi Oksanen at Ice Station Zebra glacier in Methven, New Zealand. A low-precipitation snow season created stunning glacial terrain in Methven. “The snow bridges were minimal, so we moved confidently with our guides through the otherwise sketchy terrain,” says Curtes. “When [Oksanen] saw the ice, his eyes lit up with possibilities,” recalls Curtes, who shot this image with no additional lighting. "There were plenty of natural reflections, so it was the easy choice,” says Curtes.
Curtes shot with a Canon EOS 1D camera body and Canon 70-200 mm lens.
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Climbing K2, Karakoram Range
Photograph by Tommy Heinrich, National Geographic
Standing on the front points of her crampons, Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner climbs the steep rock-and-snow pitches up to Camp II on K2, the world's second tallest mountain, located in the Karakoram Range between Pakistan and China. As part of extensive training before expeditions, she refines her balance by walking on a rope stretched between two apple trees.
After reaching K2's summit on August 23, 2011, Kaltenbrunner became the first woman to climb all 14 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or porters. Learn more about her in "K2: Danger and Desire on the Savage Mountain" in the April 2012 edition of National Geographic magazine. Kaltenbrunner is also one of our 2012 Adventurers of the Year.
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Kayaking Sahalie Falls, McKenzie River, Oregon
Photograph by Tim Kemple
See more photos and read an interview with the athlete and photographer on our blog.
"This is the moment when I hold my position and close my eyes as I anticipate the impact," says extreme kayaker Erik Boomer of dropping over 80-foot Sahalie Falls on the frigid McKenzie River near Portland, Oregon. "All the work is done at this point; it is just time to enjoy the feeling of free fall."
Boomer, who paddles over 20 to 40 waterfalls a year, is a true expert. But that doesn't mean he can just go with the flow. "Waterfalls like this always have x factors that you have to deal with," notes Boomer. "It is impossible to anticipate exactly what the water will do as you approach the lip. Waves, boils, and eddy lines are constantly surging, so you have to be prepared to react to the water the whole time."
In 2011, Boomer and his expedition partner Jon Turk pulled off the first circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island, a feat which made them two of our 2012 Adventurers of the Year.
Getting the Shot
"They say that Sahalie Falls is 100 feet tall. The pure drop after the first dip is about 80 feet. It's an impressive sight by itself, never mind seeing somebody kayak off it," says photographer Tim Kemple. A recent snowstorm left the landscape highlighting vibrant blue and green hues. "The water was bright blue, the moss was electric green, and the snow juxtaposes everything perfectly," says Kemple. The group waited for clouds to arrive, ensuring Kemple was photographing in even light.
To locate the best spot to photograph Boomer, Kemple knew he needed to head upstream and away from a classic tourist lookout for the falls. Kemple spent over an hour breaking trail through three feet of fresh snow. "By the time I was there, Boomer, who had simply paddled across the rapids, was ready to drop," recalls Kemple. "What really blew me away was how easily and confidently Boomer paddled. He hit the bottom of the falls, popped out, and paddled to the take out. Like it was no big deal," says Kemple.
To get this shot Kemple set up three separate Canon cameras with remote triggers. He fired a fourth camera, which got this shot, while teetering on the edge of the cliff.
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Sunset Skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
Photograph by Erik Seo
"It was pitch dark," says freeskier/BASE jumper Max Kuszaj of this shot in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, just off the road between Alta and Snowbird ski areas. "My main thought was to make polished ski turns, while being basically blind ... I was skiing off of feel and instinct." When the lake-effect storms unleash Utah's classic, light snow, top-notch skiing abounds. This location just had perfect pitch, perfect snow, and a picturesque sunset. "Little Cottonwood Canyon has amazing sunsets all season long," says the Connecticut native now based in Salt Lake City. "I try to appreciate every single one I witness."
Getting the Shot
What’s the best thing about shooting at Alta? “The snow,” says photographer Erik Seo. "It’s deep and light. It makes it easy to get good work done, time after time.” While capturing this scene, photographer Seo and skier Kuszaj had an unintended audience. “This is the second spot in the Alta area that I’ve shot just off the road. In both instances, there was no shortage of hecklers. I hope they actually remember the heckling and see this,” jokes Seo.
Seo worked with a two flash setup, shooting towards the West, with Kuszaj skiing on an untracked, north-facing slope at sunset. He shot with a Nikon D40, instead of his regular Nikon D3. “The D40 allowed me to use my flashes at 1/1000 of a second and darken the scene more than normal, keeping the flash power the same,” says Seo.
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Surfing "The Right," West Australia, Australia
Photograph by Ray Collins
Photographer Ray Collins was awarded the 2012 Nikon Surf Photo of the Year award for his image of Australian surfer Mark Mathews riding the wave known as “The Right” in West Australia. The award recognizes the "best of the best" in the Australian surf photography industry.
“This day was strange," recalls Collins. "It was very late season for Australia and the swell was a touch off angle.” Collins had traveled with surfers Mathews and Ryan Hipwood. “There were some extremely tense moments. Ryan was held under the water for 40 seconds," says Collins. Hipwood surfaced and recovered.
The swell was estimated at 15 to 20 feet. After capturing this photo, Collins immediately showed Mathews the frame. “I knew it was a special image right away,” says Collins. After seeing the image of himself riding into the close-out wave, Mathews exclaimed: "That doesn't even look real—it looks like something from National Geographic!”
Collins used a Canon 7D camera body with a 70-200mm, f/2.8L lens.
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Climbing Idiot Wind, San Rafael Swell, Utah
Photograph by Tobias Macphee
"The rock feels a bit like fine-grained sandpaper," says Jesse Mease, seen here trad climbing 70 feet up the route Idiot Wind (5.11c) in Utah's sandstone San Rafael Swell. "Basically I was wedging and torquing my fingers into the crack and scumming my feet along the wall because they wouldn't fit—great fun." With ample pitches to climb and no camping regulations, fees, or rangers, the San Rafael Swell is one of the state's best kept secrets. "I still don't know how to get there—I was blindfolded during the drive in," notes Salt Lake City-based Mease.
Getting the Shot
“The Swell is an amazing place. You have huge sandstone walls that seemingly run forever in every direction," says photographer Tobias Macphee. "And unlike Yosemite or Indian Creek, you can go days without seeing another person."
“Shooting climbing in the desert is always a challenge," notes Macphee. "In order to rig the ropes to shoot from, you also have to be able to climb the routes,” says Macphee. “For this shot I knew that I wanted to capture more of the open space around Jesse, so I climbed a different route off to the right. I wanted to shoot this route at sunset, so most of the day was spent waiting for that 15-minute window of perfect light. It all boils down to communication and team work,” says Macphee.
Macphee shot with a Nikon D300 with a Nikon 17-55mm, f/2.8 lens.
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Big-Air Telemark Freeskiing, Winter Teva Mountain Games, Vail, Colorado
Photograph by David Clifford
“The flame was pretty gnarly,” recalls 23-year-old telemark freeskier Chris Ewart. “But the size of the jump itself was enough to make me completely forget that there was even a flame there!” The local freeheeler took first place for landing a huge double front-flip off a 70-foot jump during the Telemark Big Air competition last Saturday on Golden Peak during the inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado.
In the first event of its kind, the skiers alternated with ten of the world’s best freestyle mountain bikers, who dazzled the crowd in the Best Trick Bike competition. BMX rider Chad Kagy took top honors for his backflip tail whip. Many of the riders had never practiced on snow until the day of the event.
Likewise, Ewart had never tried this trick in competition before, but decided to go big. “All the bikers and freeheelers were super positive in the drop-in gate and it was crazy to see people from both sports throwing down. The crowd was cheering and getting excited. The whole mood of the night got me really stoked up to try it out,” says Ewart, who is also an EMT.
Such audacious feats happening in the air come with some carnage in the landings. Yet after each crash, the competitor shook it off with great style to the delight of the crowd of 5,000 people. “I crashed a couple of times,” says Ewart. “Some of the other guys had some nasty falls, but props to them for continuing and throwing down hard even afterward.”
For the mountain bikers, the frosty terrain brought some benefits. “The snow makes it much harder to land, but it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad when you don’t,” says rider Cameron Zink.
The festival’s events included races for elite and amateur athletes in mixed climbing, Nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, snow biking, snowshoeing, and running, as well as gear demos, bands, parties, and great conditions for skiing and snowboarding.
Getting the Shot
“Photographing the Teva Mountain Games is always a blast for a variety of reasons, but mainly the vibe they create is so fun you want to be there,” says photographer David Clifford.
For this shot there were two big-air competitions going on at the same time, within about 20 to 30 feet of each other. “It was tricky. I was under the jump, shooting from a lower angle to get some big-air perspective. The telemark skiers and mountain bikers would intermittently take turns on the jumps and the bikers could choose from two different ramps,” says Clifford. "We had different focus points and lighting adjustments to make each and every time. Often times the skier would be way past the zone I was lighting, and then the fire would go off.”
Photo shoots always come with unexpected challenges, and Clifford had his fair share during the Winter Teva Mountain Games. Just an hour before the competition his Elinchrome Quadra completely died. "I ran down the ski slopes, borrowed a bike, got my Profoto 600-watt backup pack and head. The reflector was missing, so we placed the head inside the head of the Elinchrome, upside down, and bounced the light off the wall of the jump. It was brilliant because we got some direct light for the bikers and some reflected light on the foreground for the tele guys.” Later, Clifford was about to head to cover the ski-mountaineering race and discovered someone had stolen his ski boots. “I pride myself on getting the shot and over coming anything, but that was a new twist.”
Clifford used a Canon Mark IV with a 16-35mm, 2.8L lens. Clifford’s lighting gear included two MultiMax pocket wizard transceivers, one built-in pocket wizard, a Profoto 7B with two heads, and a Profoto AcuteB 600R.
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Highlining at Cathedral Peak, Yosemite, California
Photograph by Mikey Schaefer
"On the highline my thoughts are simple and clear," says pioneering rock climber, BASE jumper, and wing suit flyer Dean Potter. "Fundamental needs shine through the mental clutter. I focus completely on my breath, my connection with the line, and making it safely to the other side." This highline was set up on the summit of Cathedral Peak, in Yosemite National Park, at an elevation of 10,911 feet. Though Potter is untethered, he is in control. "I’ve always been a 'free soloist.' Whatever I do, I long to be untethered and free," notes Potter. "I am completely confident with my ability to catch the line if I were to fall. I’ve practiced this catch move successfully for the past 19 years."
This shot is just one spectacular scene from "The Man Who Can Fly," an episode of Explorer airing Sunday, February 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel (see a photo gallery). The show captures Potter's quest for true human flight, with first feats in free soloing and wing suit flying in Yosemite, California, and British Columbia, Canada. The episode examines Potter's unique blend of daring, determination, and pursuit of the unknown.
Getting the Shot
“Hands down this was the most complicated photo I've ever taken,” says photographer Mikey Schaefer. “It started a year earlier with Dean [Potter] seeing the moon rise over Cathedral Peak and noticing that it would make a great shot.“ A bit skeptical, Schaefer used an app called The Photographer's Ephemeris to locate where the moon would rise from a relative location. “I went out the night before the shoot with a GPS and lined everything up. Sure enough, the moon rose exactly where I thought it would,” says Schaefer.
In Tuolumne Meadows, Schaefer set himself on an adjacent ridge from Potter, about 1.2 miles away, and began shooting at 7:30 p.m. “Thankfully the light was absolutely perfect, as it was just ten minutes before the direct sunlight would be off of Dean. This allowed me to balance the exposure evenly between Dean and the moon, as there weren’t too many stops difference between the two,” recalls Schaefer.
Schaefer worked throughout the filming of the show, from rigging ropes to operating video cameras, all while shooting still images as well. The image of Potter against the moon stands out from the rest of the shoot. “The whole scenario seemed crazy,” Schaefer says. ”I was over a mile away from my subject, who was walking a tightrope with certain death consequences if he fell. I was running through the woods with $20,000 worth of camera gear, making the most unique photo of my career. I'm still a bit amazed that I managed to stick the shot."
This image was captured using a Canon 5D Mark II and an 800mm, f/5.6 lens with a 2X doubler.
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Ski Superpipe, 2012 Winter X Games, Aspen, Colorado
Photograph by Scott Markewitz, ESPN Images
"It is very exciting to perform at a high level in front of a massive crowd like this," says freeskier Tucker Perkins, seen here completing a switch right-side cork 720 in the Men's Ski Superpipe Finals at the Winter X Games on January 28, 2012. The sculpted superpipe, located on Aspen, Colorado's Buttermilk Mountain, measures 22 feet in height. Perkins came in fifth place in a competition that was considered the most exciting men's ski superpipe thus far, with epic performances, unexpected crashes, and some newcomers on the podium.
The spirit of pioneering, world champion freestyle skier Sarah Burke was felt throughout both the men's and women's events. In her lifetime, Burke won four golds at the Winter X Games and successfully lobbied to get the ski superpipe added to the 2014 Winter Olympics. She died on January 19, 2012, from injuries sustained during a training accident. "I knew Sarah Burke well," notes Perkins. "It was an extremely unfortunate accident, but she would have wanted us to ski our hearts out at this event. We all did it for her."
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Sidecountry Skiing Mount Baker, Washington
Photograph by Grant Gunderson
"Shoot, I can't really spot my landing because there is so much slough [snow] moving with me, I hope I stick it!" thought Elyse Saugstad while skiing the sidecountry at Washington's Mount Baker Ski Area. The Olympic Valley, California-based skier was hucking a 20-foot cliff during a weeklong Mount Baker shoot with phenomenal snow conditions for Salomon Freeski TV's "Pacific Northwest Road Trip" (watch the video).
"Mount Baker is a great spot for skiing because the terrain there is vast and challenging," says the Girdwood, Alaska, native. "It snows a great deal at Mount Baker and since a skier is always in search of fresh powder, Mount Baker is a great place to ski."
Getting the Shot
“Mount Baker is probably one of the toughest places there is to shoot skiing, but I love the challenge," says photographer Grant Gunderson. “We were dealing with some pretty insane avalanche danger the day this photo was taken.”
To get the shot, Gunderson set himself on the opposing ridge from where Saugstad was skiing. “We took our time to find some lines that could be safely skied and shot. Towards the bottom of her line, Elyse hit air off this cliff and the image lined up perfectly.”
Gunderson photographed using a Canon 1D MK4 camera body with a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.
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Big-Wave Surfing Jaws, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph by Zak Noyle, A-Frame
On January 4, 2012, at the famed Hawaiian break Jaws, photographer Zak Noyle captured some of the world's best surfers, including Ian Walsh, Shane Dorian, Mark Healey, and Maui standout Kai Lenny (pictured), paddling to catch the enormous waves. "There was a lot of excitement in the air and many nervous surfers,” recalls Noyle. “These are some of the most extreme surfers at the forefront of big-wave paddle surfing. They were all nervous, but ready.”
Due to the large take-off zone needed for the surfers to paddle out to the wave, Noyle needed to adapt his position. “With tow-in, they can just zip over to the perfect spot. This day more waves went unridden.”
"The surfers wore the Shane Dorian Billabong Vertical Acsent suit. It has a cartridge if you are held under the water, you can inflate the suit to bring you safely to the surface. Luckily no one got hurt, but man, boards were broken," says Noyle. Learn more about the wetsuit in our Gear of the Year.
Noyle photographed from a Jet Ski using a Canon Mark IV 1D with a 70-200mm, f/4 lens. His camera was encased in a custom made SPL water housing.
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Ice Climbing in the Western Fjords, Norway
Photograph by Celin Serbo
"I am so cold," was the thought going through ice climber Chad Peele's head on the third and last pitch of this 500- to 600-foot first ascent outside of Eidfjord, Norway. "By most standards, it was not an incredibly difficult route with a rating around WI4-4+, but it was so cold that day that everything felt so much harder!" recalls Peele.
Frigid temperatures aside, this is paradise for people who love to ascend frozen falls. "Norway's glaciers carved a labyrinth of fjords that hold plenty of water at just the right temperatures to form long flows of ice," says Peele. "Scouting for first ascents relies on local word of mouth. It takes a lot of walking around with binoculars in the cold and can be quite tricky sometimes."
Getting the Shot
“These fjords rise up out of the ocean and the cliffs lead to vast rolling, windy terrain,” says photographer Celin Serbo about shooting this photo of Peele during a First Ascent expedition in western Norway's fjord country. An experienced climber, the Boulder, Colorado-based photographer was prepared to suffer: “It's cold. Your gear takes a beating. You must be very mindful of the climbers to not knock ice down on them.”
Though the team mostly climbed in areas protected from the wind, the elements were challenging. “I would hear snow coming, cover my camera, and wait it out. After 30 seconds, the snow would pass. My gear—and myself—were completely encrusted,” he says.
Serbo captured the unique point of view by shooting from a cave along the route. “We had a fixed line on the first two pitches of this three-pitch route. Once the climbers started up the third pitch, I decided to stay in the cave because of the great framing it provided.”
Serbo carried two Nikon D300 camera bodies and four lenses: 10.5mm f/2.8 DX Fisheye (used for this shot); 17-55mm f/2.8; 70-200mm vr, f/2.8; 300mm f4; and a 1.4x teleconverter.
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Ski Mountaineering Huyana Potosí in the Cordillera Real, Bolivia
Photograph by Christian Pondella
Photographer Christian Pondella joined friends Giulia Monego (pictured) and Dave Rosenbarger to ski in the Cordillera Real mountains in Bolivia. “As a photographer and a skier, I was really excited about skiing in Bolivia and knew there would be amazing photo opportunities,” Pondella recalls. “The mountains were so beautiful that it was easy to get great photos. You just had to be confident and comfortable with the ski conditions."
The beautiful scenery is also serious terrain. On their last day of skiing, Pondella, Monego, and Rosenbarger rescued an injured skier. "We watched two climbers fall down the mountain," Pondella says. "They were lucky to fall into a crevasse, which kept them from sliding to their death. One climber broke both her legs and we spent the next eight hours rescuing her from 19,000 feet and eventually getting her to a hospital in La Paz.”
To get this image, Pondella was on top of Huayna Potosí, a 6,000-meter peak. “Standing on top looking down at Giulia with a wide-angle lens, I was able to capture a great perspective of the mountain face we had climbed up and were about to ski back down,” says Pondella. He shot this image using a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II lens.
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Dual Moguls in Freestyle Skiing, Méribel France
Photograph by Alain Grosclaude, Agence Zoom/Getty Images
Skiers Denis Dolgodorov of Russia and Mikael Kingsbury of Canada compete during the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Dual Moguls on December 20, 2011, in Méribel, France.
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Ice Climbing the South Fork River Valley, Wyoming
Photograph by Jay Beyer
"At this moment, I was wishing I wasn't so close to the top," says ice climber Aaron Mulkey, who is seen on a formation named Ice Fest in the South Fork River Valley located outside of Cody, Wyoming. "While on climbs, the troubles and stress of life fade away below. And although I am always seeking the summit, I'm on a constant mission to find that never-ending smear of ice."
The Cody resident, who is always on the hunt for virgin ice, spent the last decade making treks into the valley to see if the Ice Fest formation would freeze in a way fit to climb. "After ten years of waiting, Ice Fest was in great shape and I was able to enjoy nature's gift," he recalls.
The South Fork River Valley is one of the best ice climbing destinations in the world. "The concentration of ice and feeling of remoteness are unmatched," says Mulkey, who has more than a hundred first ascents to his name. The season typically begins in November and runs into April. "Hiking through cactus and sagebrush, then climbing high into remote alpine terrain is a trademarked feeling that only the South Fork Valley can create."
Getting the Shot
"For me, ice climbing is the hardest thing I shoot—and for that I love it," says photographer Jay Beyer. Part of capturing amazing ice climbing images is battling the elements and gear. "You have to deal with not feeling your legs for hours while hanging in a harness and keeping your batteries and hands from freezing," recalls Beyer. "One time I was getting dripped on while I was shooting. By the time I was done, there was a quarter inch of ice on the back of my camera."
Capturing this image was straight forward for the seasoned shooter. "Shoot from above and bend a wide angle past the point of natural—without getting your feet in the shot," says Beyer. Beyer carried two camera bodies, a Canon 5Dm2 and Canon 1Dm3, as well as four lenses, a 15mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-70mm f/2.8L, and a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.
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Biking the Salt Flats, Utah
Photograph by Mike Schirf
"They race for the world land speed record in this area, and, although I wasn’t going for any records, when it’s just you, the bike, and the road, it’s time to go for it," says Park City-based triathlete Rob Lea of riding along the salt flats in northwestern Utah for this shot. "I had just picked up this amazing Giant TT bike, and between the flat road, my new baby, and the bleak but beautiful landscape, I was in heaven."
Lea and photographer Mike Schirf took this shot after a rain had brought down the temperature and formed a rainbow. "I was riding and Mike yelled out to me to look up and then to turn around and come back at him. It was just good timing."
Getting the Shot
Photographer Mike Schirf headed to the Utah salt flats with triathlete Rob Lea, intending to shoot a great image. “I was really excited to see what I could come up with,” recalls Schirf. “That place seems to create great imagery on its own.”
“One of the biggest challenges I have while shooting biking versus other sports is creating the feeling of motion,” says Schirf. Working his environment, Schirf stood on the hood of his car for a better angle. “I really liked the rainbow, so we tried a few shots to pull it in closer. The light was amazing and we definitely worked it until it was gone.”
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Skiing Powder Mountain Resort, Utah
Photograph by Poor Boyz Productions/Erik Seo
"Most things like this take a few times to get right,” says photographer Erik Seo of his shoot with skier Nick Martini and Poor Boyz Productions, “from the sheer difficulty of landing a large drop to a flat landing, to Nick getting his style just right, to the filmers and photographers getting their shots perfect." The photo was shot during filming for the upcoming film The Grand Bizarre. The shoot was fully approved and supported by Powder Mountain Resort in Utah.
An experienced ski photographer, Seo is always looking to capture an athlete at “the closest to the apex of the jump, at the best point of the skier's style.” Working on the roof without a ski jump ramp, the team needed to create speed for Martini. “We brought out the tow rope and the Silverado 2500 to drive away in the adjacent parking lot, with Nick pulling on the rope for speed,” recalls Seo.
To light the scene, Seo set up an Elinchrom Ranger strobe on the left side of the frame, providing fill light as well as balancing the exposure against the sky. He shot with a Nikon D3 camera body and Nikon 16-35mm f2.8 lens, as well as "a tow rope, a huge Chevy truck, and one redneck Canadian driver to do burnouts in the parking lot.”
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Surfing Haleiwa at the Reef Hawaiian Pro
Photograph by Kelly Cestari, ASP/Getty Images
Australian surfer Taj Burrow claimed the first jewel in the VANS Triple Crown of surfing on November 23, 2011, by winning the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Ali'i Beach Park in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The three-part competition will continue through December 20, depending on conditions.
Founded in 1983, the Triple Crown is set at a trio of distinct breaks on Oahu's legendary North Shore—Haleiwa, Sunset, and Pipeline. Just as the winter swells arrive in Hawaii, so do the world's best surfers to take on some of the hardest waves on Earth. From the towering walls at Sunset Beach to the infamous barrels at the Banzai Pipeline, the Triple Crown champion will be the surfer who has the diversity, ability, and stamina to excel in the varying surf conditions at all three locations.
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Ski Mountaineering on Cerro Castillo, Patagonia, Chile
Photograph by Jason Thompson
Freeskier Forrest Coots makes a solid turn in firm snow with sluff moving all around him midway down a narrow, 50-degree couloir in the heart of the Cerro Castillo National Refuge in Chilean Patagonia.
"Cerro Castillo is ski mountaineers’ dream location," says Coots, who has made three trips to the region. "Due to the vastness of the area, you could spend a lifetime down there skiing and never ski the same point twice. It’s a couloir heaven—everywhere you look there are lines to climb and ski."
Coots and Jason Thompson were likely the first two people to climb and ski in this particular narrow hallway during their 21-day expedition with Drew Stoecklein. The trio horsepacked into the mountains with the goal to shoot a ski mountaineering film from the athletes' perspective. "Checking out the countryside from a horse makes you feel like a true cowboy," notes Coots. "But after a day in the saddle, I discovered the meaning of soreness. I was beyond ready to get off that horse and start climbing into base camp."
Getting the Shot
“The rumor is true: There are some very windy conditions in Patagonia, as we found out,” recalls photographer Jason Thompson. Changing weather conditions and avalanches forced the team to alter their Patagonian plans for this shoot. “We climbed up into this tight and steeper-than-expected chute. From below it didn’t look like much. As we climbed into the chute, the rim ice and granite walls gave the surroundings a sense of magic. I wanted to portray the feel of skiing in Patagonia with its classic granite walls.”
Pressed against a rock wall and laying in the snow with the camera held on his chest, Thompson photographed Coots skiing very quickly. "If the skier misses the spot there is no image.”
How did the three men get all the gear high into the mountains? They carried it. “The amount of gear we had to schlep into the zone that we were skiing in was tremendous.” Thompson shot using a Canon 5d and 7d, as well as carrying 8 Canon lenses.
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Freeriding Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia, Canada
Photograph by Robin O'Neill
"On this mossy rockface on Fatcrobat, the last three feet are totally vertical, so I had to jump off of it," recalls freestyle mountain biker Jinya Nishiwaki of riding this new line in Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia, Canada. After spending a year trying to find it, Nishiwaki rode this line for the first time for this photo. "This line is about 45 to 50 degrees, but I didn't notice if it was slippery or not because I didn't hit the brakes after I rolled in—you don't hit the brakes in a situation like this, otherwise the tires will lose the traction and you may lose your balance and fall." The Japan native has lived in Whistler for the last three summers to tap the incredible mountain biking. "Undoubtedly, Whistler has one of the world's best biking communities. People and mountains are great and beautiful too."
Getting the Shot
Robin O’Neill had three days to shoot and edit a slide show for judging at Kokanee Crankworx’s Deep Summer Photo Challenge in 2011 at Whistler, British Columbia. Not only was O’Neill the first female photographer invited to the competition, but she also won the event.
Because Nishiwaki had been searching for this line for a year, O'Neill had to think fast to get the shot. “I barely had a chance to lift my camera to my eye before he came down the face," says O'Neill. "Luckily I had scouted it before, so I had an idea of where to stand."
At the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, getting a great shot means working hard to get to remote locations. “You have to ride, walk, or run the trails with your equipment to get to the good locations, and some of the terrain is too technical to ride fully loaded with a pack,” notes O’Neill, who shot the photo challenge using a Canon Mark IV and 14mm, 50mm, 70-200mm, L series lenses.
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Backcountry Skiing Sugar Bowl, California
Photograph by Grant Gunderson
"The sky was gorgeous that night," says freeskier Carston Oliver of this 360 off a cliff in the backcountry of California's Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, California. "I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the clouds and sunset for a moment before dropping in every time."
He and photographer Grant Gunderson were hiking fast laps between the resort and Donner Pass to get as many hits as possible on these cliffs before the sun went down. "The conditions were pretty close to perfect," recalls the Salt Lake City, Utah-based big-mountain skier who has been hooked on the sport since he was ten. "It had just snowed a little more than a foot, we had a little bit of sun, and the temperatures were cold enough to keep the snow good all day, but warm enough to be comfortable."
Oliver appeared in this year's impressive film Solitaire, an all human-powered backcountry ski film that was shot entirely in South America.
Getting the Shot
Photographer Grant Gunderson used a flash to capture Oliver in this image. "Donner Pass is quite easy to shoot. There are so many cool terrain features, and you can shuttle gear [to location] with a pick-up truck," he says. No shoot is ever without challenges. "The thing with shooting ski action with large flashes is that you get just one shot, so your timing has to be perfect in order to get the skier in the right place in the frame at the peak moment of the trick."
Gunderson placed an Elinchrom flash pack above and behind the cliff, as well as another one further down the hill. He used a Canon 1DMK3 with a 15mm lens.
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Highlining the Trollveggen, Norway
Photograph by Brano Beliancin
"This was a very cool moment because I've been into highlining for a relatively long time compared to Alexander, and he's already better than me. It was like passing the torch," says Frenchman Julien Millot (right), who was on the shorter, "easier" line. He and German Alexander Lauterbach, both avid adrenaline seekers, are seen walking toward Troll Wall, or Trollveggen, the tallest cliff in Europe at 3,600 feet. This was the first time anyone had highlined in this spot overlooking the stunning Romsdalen Valley in northwestern Norway. Though both men are roped up to the line, that's not always the case. "When we fall, we either catch the line, fall on the harness, or sometimes we go BASE jumping—don't forget to wear your parachute rig!"
Getting the Shot
"Highliners are not so very fast, so I had a little more time to get the shot," says photographer Branislav Beliancin, who happened upon this duo while hiking in Reinheimen National Park. Baliancin aborted his hiking plans to spend the day shooting adrenaline shots with a 24mm wide lens and making panoramics, like this one, with his Nikon D700. "You need to be careful because you are directly on the mountain's edge. One bad step and bye-bye."
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Free Climbing Century Crack, Canyonlands, Utah
Photograph by Alex Ekins
"You climb upside down with your legs inverted inside the crack above your head the whole way," says British rock climber Pete Whittaker about completing the first free climb of Century Crack, the longest and hardest known roof crack climb in the world, in October 2011. Here he is seen upside down 200 feet above the floor of the canyon near the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Whittaker and his climbing partner Tom Randall trained for two years for the offwidth crack, meaning the gap was too wide for fist-jamming techniques and too narrow for chimney techniques. Instead the climber must fill the space with a combination of body parts to make slow, grueling progress. "Tom built a small replica of the climb in the cellar of his house. We did continuous training laps on this to prepare ourselves," says Whittaker. "We also did thousands of hours of offwidth-specific abdominal, bicep, shoulder, and leg conditioning."
While across the pond from home, the Brit duo hit every difficult offwidth crack they could find.
Getting the Shot
"Fortuitously, the evening before Tom and Pete made their ascents, a rainbow appeared over the Canyonlands with its apex directly above Century Crack," recalls photographer Alex Ekins. To capture the image, Ekins had lain in a gully, bracing his camera on a rock for stability. "The length of the crack meant that I had to begin shooting at the back of the cave at the top of a gully. Then I had to scramble down as the climber moved horizontally." The trip's other adventurous elements—a bumpy ride to the White Rim, bivouacking the night before, and rappelling into a dangerous gully—were easier to shoot. "The main difficulty was in doing justice photographically to one of the longest and most magnificent roof cracks in the world," says Ekins.
Ekins captured this photograph with a Canon 7D and Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens.
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Ice Climbing in Banks Lake, Washington
Photograph by Ben Herndon, Tandem
"I have been blessed with natural flexibility, but this route was still physically demanding!" says climber Craig Pope of crossing from an ice cave to a free-standing, 82-foot-tall icicle—without ropes or protection. An ice climber's paradise, Banks Lake has one of the highest concentrations of easily accessible ice in Washington. Pope, a longtime rock climber, got hooked on ice climbing three years ago. "I fell in love with the movement, environment, companionship, and danger," recalls Pope, who lives in Moscow, Idaho. "I began ice climbing every day. During the winter of 2009/2010, I climbed more than 400 pitches!"
Getting the Shot
"For this shot the real challenge was the constant dripping water from the icicles on the cave ceiling above. And there was the small possibility of Craig skewering me with his crampons," recalls photographer Ben Herndon. "I decided to move directly underneath Craig. The trick was to time the shot when he was looking down to find feet placement, so you end up with this sprawling profile on top of the intense eyes."
This photo was taken with a 16-35 mm, f/2.8 lens. "The 16mm wide-angle allows you to shoot within a few feet of the climber, so you get awesome expressions and emotions while still getting the stunning environmental information of the climb," says Herndon.
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Heli-Skiing Rogers Pass, British Columbia, Canada
Photograph by Jordan Manley
"I just let my skis guide me," says Canadian big-mountain skier Leah Evans of threading through pine, hemlock, and cedar trees while backcountry skiing Rogers Pass outside of Golden, British Columbia. "I grew up tree skiing at Red Mountain Resort, so I'm very comfortable navigating in the trees," says Evans, who started Girls Do Ski, an initiative to get more young women on the slopes with special ski camps. Her next competition is the International Freeskiers Association World Tour, which kicks off in January 2012 from her home turf in nearby Revelstoke.
Getting the Shot
"I'm a big fan of aerial perspectives and tree skiing—so I combined the two," says photographer Jordan Manley. While photographing for Great Canadian Heli-Skiing, an operator located between Golden and Revelstoke, Manley captured the unusual perspective. "It isn't very common to get a view of tree skiing from just above the canopy. We took the doors off the helicopter and strapped in." The photo was taken using a Nikon D3s and a Nikkor 17-35, f/2.8 lens.
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Mountain Biking Mount Åre, Jämtland, Sweden
Photograph by Dan Barham
Competitive mountain bikers John Alm Högman and Linus Sjöholm ride the slippery rocks at the top of the mountain biking park at Mount Åre, a popular skiing and biking area in Jämtland, Sweden. "John and Linus are good friends, ride often, and it shows," says photographer Dan Barham. "The trust built up over time means they're able to hit the trail closer together than normal, which made the close framing of the shot possible." This image won the 2010 Scandinavian Photo Challenge, a race between teams of riders and photographers to capture the best shot. "When the scenery's as beautiful as this, there's very few challenges," says the British Columbia, Canada-based shooter, who used a used Canon 1D Mark IV digital SLR and a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L wide angle lens. "Just f/8 and be there."
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Rappelling into the Black Hole of Calcutta, Blue Mountains, Australia
Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic
“It feels like being swallowed by the Earth,” says photographer Carsten Peter of the first of three rappels into the Black Hole of Calcutta in Claustral Canyon, located in Australia's Blue Mountains. Experienced canyoneers avoid it after heavy rains. “The immense power of the maelstrom is responsible for the wide, rounded shape. I liked the transition from dim daylight (ferns on top) into the darkness.”
Getting the Shot
Leave it to adventure photographer Casten Peter, who specializes in erupting volcanoes, crystal caves, and any dangerous locale he can find, to take a couple risks to get this shot. “My assistant John Robens had to swim with a strobe light below the climber in a deep basin within the spray and the noise of the waterfall,” recalls Peter. “He could not hear through Walkie-Talkies, nor by shouting. He was freezing in the cold water. I was on a slippery ledge on top of the waterfall, unsecured," says Peter. "We ended up with a lot of failures, but finally we shed some light into the darkness."
Learn more about the daring Aussies who use ropes but no GPS to explore the Blue Mountains in "Australia's Slot Canyons," by Mark Jenkins, in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic.
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Surfing the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
Photograph by Jason Kenworthy, A-Frame
"I was just hugging the face of the wave waiting for it to barrel," says pro surfer Bruce Irons, who was willing to give his pal Sam McIntosh's "flare surfing" idea a try off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands.
First the crew tested the idea in the very early morning. "I really didn't know if it was going to work, or if the flare would just burn right through my board," notes Irons. Once they felt confident in the mechanics, they set out at night. "We took a Jet Ski out to where the waves were meant to break," says Irons. "I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of the ski."
When the wave approached, a friend pulled the flare chord, and Irons jumped. A world-class surfer like Irons makes it look easy, but do not try this at home. "Considering my buddy Peter almost lost his eyesight pulling the flare cord on this night, I would say stick with what you are taught as a kid: Don't play with fire."
Getting the Shot
Having recently photographed the Nike “Just Do It” night ad campaign, photographer Jason Kenworthy was familiar with photographing surfers at night. “It was dark and there was only one chance to get it ... no do-overs,” recalls Kenworthy.
To make this photograph, Kenworthy was located on a skiff looking directly into the barrel. “Focusing was a challenge due to the darkness. And with the dropping light, you are constantly guessing on your exposures—and then second-guessing," says Kenworthy, who used a Canon Mark IV. “The 2.8 and instant stabilization worked great, and the high ISO settings came in handy.”
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Trad Climbing the Needles, Black Hills, South Dakota
Photograph by Dawn Kish
Imagine climbing one of these granite spires. Or ten. In a single day.
Climbing legend John "Verm" Sherman, 52, first considered climbing the Ten Pins in a day—known as "the Strike," in the Needles of the Black Hills—two decades ago. One partially paralyzed arm, a separated right shoulder, and two artificial hips later, he gave it a shot last July with climbing partner Cheyenne Chaffee, a local guide. "Even though the Strike requires a degree of physical stamina, the main challenge was mental—holding it together on run-out terrain where a fall could be a career-ender," says Sherman.
Here, Sherman is seen leading on Super Pin, an elite-level climb and the most iconic of the Ten Pins. It is known for its "X" factor, which, in climbing, is the potential for a deadly fall due to lack of protection. "I stood up very, very carefully on the summit," recalls Sherman. "It's about the size of a 12-pack on top."
Getting the Shot
Shooting all Ten Pins in one day is as much a challenge for the photographer as it is for the climber. For this shot, photographer Dawn Kish, a longtime rock climber, set herself on a nearby pin, Tent Peg. She then rappelled up and down a line to get the best angle. “We were tired in the middle of the day, but we had some Coca-Cola and Cheetos,” notes Kish, who captured the image using a Nikon D7000. “This camera is fast and light. For climbing shots, you need that flexibility.”
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Cliff Diving in Boston, Massachusetts
Photograph by Romina Amato, Red Bull Cliff Diving
"This was the first time I dove from a building—it was amazing," says diver Cyrille Oumedjkane of completing a reverse somersault layout from an 88.5-foot platform attached to Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) building.
With skilled precision amid dramatic clouds, the Frenchman and his fellow divers dazzled some 23,000 spectators surrounding Boston Harbor on the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. In cliff diving, competitors dive outdoors at heights ranging from 66 to 92 feet and enter the water toes first; regular divers launch from 33 feet or less and enter headfirst.
For Oumedjkane, who has been practicing his sport for 25 years, plunging into water is a way of life. "I dive because I don't like soccer, and I like the adrenaline."
Getting the Shot
“With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, we get to some really unique locations,” says photographer Romina Amato. Indeed, this year's tour also hit Ukraine, Italy, France, Greece, Mexico, and Chile. “Each location comes with its own challenges—and Boston was no exception, as we had very limited angles from which to shoot.”
To capture this image, the veteran cliff-diving shooter was positioned in a parking lot next to the ICA building. “Cyrille’s dive looks both graceful and powerful as he launches against the natural drama of the weather front,” says Amato, who used a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and 50mm f/1.2 lens.
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Backcountry Skiing Squaw Valley, California
Photograph by Alex O'Brien
"I better stomp this!" This was on the mind of freeskier JT Holmes before he launched off the "Drifter," a 35-foot cliff in Squaw Valley's Silverado Canyon, during a shoot for the upcoming Warren Miller film, Like There's No Tomorrow. Holmes has been doing such stunts for ski flicks since he was 15 years old. "The Drifter offers a clear view from takeoff to landing—if you stop above it. But I was skiing for film and for fun, so I came in nonstop, blind," recalls Holmes, who grew up and still lives in Squaw Valley. "I was psyched. I had just become airborne to find that my trajectory was good, and my vision of the landing was only partly obscured by the falling snow."
Even after seeking out the world's best backcountry, Holmes says nowhere compares to his home turf. "Squaw Valley offers the best skiing experience and community. The layout creates a great vibe on the mountain ..." Holmes says. "On top of that, we tend to enjoy mild temperatures. I am not so keen on skiing when it is cold outside."
Getting the Shot
"When I get the call on the radio that he is ready, I've got about ten seconds before JT drops into the line," says photographer Alex O'Brien. "This is the point when I take a deep breath and steady myself." To get this shot, O'Brien was positioned directly across a small valley at the same elevation as the cliff, which gave him a good perspective. It also showed where Holmes was coming from and where he was headed, which is something O'Brien always tries to communicate in action photos. He chose a Nikon d700 handheld with a 70-200mm lens for the conditions: "I use this lightweight setup when I am shooting a subject that requires me to cover a lot of ground in a day."
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Big-Wave Surfing, Punta de Lobos, Chile
Photograph by Alfredo Escobar, Quiksilver/BWWT
"I just paddled so hard to take that wave, and I knew, in this moment, it would be one of the big ones!" says Chilean big-wave surfer Ramon Navarro of catching this 26-foot swell during the first stop of the 2011 Big Wave World Tour. Navarro placed second in the competition, which was held in chilly May in his hometown of Punta de Lobos, Chile. The beach is Chile's premier surf spot, thanks to getting pounded by the most consistent waves in the country—and some of the most consistent in the world. "This is my favorite place to surf," says Navarro, who began catching waves here when he was 12. "I will come in first next time."
Getting the Shot
Photographer Alfredo Escobar captured this shot of Navarro while shooting only a hundred feet from breaking waves. “It was intense! A huge set of waves came in and we had to quickly get out of there," recalls Escobar. "When my Jet Ski was passing the wave, I turned around and, at the last minute, I took this picture.“ When he set out for the day, Escobar knew the challenging situation he would face: “At Punta de Lobos there's a very threatening wave that comes in from the west that usually catches you unguarded.”
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BASE Jumping Utah's Ancient Art
Screen capture by Keith Ladzinski
"At this very moment, the thinking is over and your mind is in 'enjoy' mode," says climber Mario Richard (center) of two-way BASE jumping with Steph Davis (lower center) off the Corkscrew summit of Ancient Art at Fisher Towers near Moab, Utah. "It’s time to take in some amazing visuals and savor the fruits of all the efforts it took to get there." The pair free climbed three short pitches and one long one to get to the narrow summit of this iconic desert tower recognized by most rock climbers.
In a two-way the jumpers take off nearly simultaneously, just a split second apart. Timing is important because if they don’t have enough separation, they could jump into each other’s parachutes. "We jump together a lot, and it seemed like it would be a fun twist to jump together from this tower where it’s hard to even fit one person at the top," notes Davis, of the two BASE jumps she and Richard did that day. "We do two-ways off Castleton quite a bit, too—and with our wingsuits."
Getting the Shot
There is a tenseness that I can't shake every time I watch my friends BASE jump. This cold January day was no different. Hanging from a rope about 40 feet lower than the summit, I shot the still frames of this jump via a cable release in my right hand while follow-filming with a video camera. It was a daunting task to time the still frames in one camera while also capturing the motion in a separate video camera. Both cameras were mounted on the side of the cliff on a dangling tripod that I hung next to. Mario's body position in the frame has a wildness to it as he tries to get as far away from the cliff as possible. —Photographer Keith Ladzinski
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Backcountry Skiing Crystal Mountain, Washington
Photograph by Ian Coble
"The lighting and light snow were unreal for so early in the year," says skier Tyler Ceccanti of this early December backcountry skiing shoot on Washington's Crystal Mountain with photographer Ian Coble. Though Ceccanti has spent the last four years sampling the world's best terrain as a pro, the 22-year-old says there's no place like home: "I grew up exploring this mountain every weekend and I love being here," says Ceccanti who still lives in nearby Lake Tapps. "It also has some of the best skiing in the Northwest and a beautiful view."
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Deepwater Soloing Poda Island, Thailand
Photograph by David Clifford
"Deepwater soloing provides the perfect combination of adventure and serenity," says Jessa Younker of climbing the stalactites hanging from a giant limestone cliff on Poda Island, Thailand. "Without a rope or harness to distract, I can purely focus on how to make the next move on the natural features." With this style of rock climbing, a fall is followed by a splash: "Sometimes my hand would slip off the wet rock and send me free falling through the air. Then I would be engulfed in the warmth of the Andaman Sea, swimming towards the surface, watching the sun dance across the gentle waves."
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Paragliding Bazaruto Island, Mozambique
Photograph by Jody MacDonald
"Flying a site like this is like having an out-of-body experience," says Gavin McClurg of paragliding above the shape-shifting sand dunes on 20-mile-long Bazaruto Island. "You are looking out at the Indian Ocean's turquoise waters churning endlessly from one huge lagoon at high tide to massive sand islands and rivers at low." And they had the added rush of being the first to paraglide there. Seasoned adventurer McClurg and photographer Jody MacDonald found this spot while sailing the world to kiteboard, surf, and paraglide where no one has done so before on an expedition they call "The Best Odyssey." "There was no sign of people—just serene beauty in every direction," says McClurg. "And you're flying above soft sand, so no helmet or shoes were even necessary! Rarely is paragliding so stress-free and just pure fun."
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2011 Tour de France
Photograph by Christophe Ena, AP
Cyclists race down Massiac pass during the 9th stage of the 2011 Tour de France. This stage of the race—there are 21 total—covered 129 miles from Issoire to Saint-Flour in central France and was the scene of several accidents due to pileups and wet roads. Over the three weeks of the race, which ends July 24 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, cyclists cover 2,132 miles.
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Bodyboarding at Shark Island, Australia
Photograph by Cameron Spencer, Getty Images
"I just wanted to get a bomb and was really enjoying the ride," says bodyboarder Chase O'Leary of catching this six-foot wave during the Shark Island Challenge, in June 2011, near Sydney, Australia. "But I didn't read the wave properly, hence why I got smashed into the reef." Surfing's little brother, bodyboarding is a sport that's growing up. "There's been a real boom in the younger generation—not just in Australia but around the world," says O'Leary, 19, who has been bodyboarding for nine years. "People see it as a more functional way of riding a wave than surfing. Once you start to get the hang of it, it becomes addictive."
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Climbing Near Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Photograph by Paul Bride
"Being in this crack was surprisingly secure—when I was not moving," says climbing guide John Furneaux of tackling Public Image, a 4-pitch route on the North Walls of the Stawamus Chief. "Whenever I tried to make upward progress it felt like I might be spit out into the abyss at any moment." The tight squeeze afforded amazing views of giant old-growth cedar and douglas fir trees and Squamish, British Columbia, a gateway to world-class climbing, whitewater paddling, wind sports, and mountain biking. "As much as I hate to give away my secret playground," comments Furneaux, "I have to say that if people are looking for adventure, Squamish is truly the destination they should visit."
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Ski Jumping in Alta, Utah
Photograph by Scott Markewitz
"When I pop out into the open air and get that first look at how far away the ground is, time stops, it gets really quiet, I hear birds chirping, I drift around in my own thoughts—all in a nanosecond," says professional skier Julian Carr of front flipping off a 60-foot cliff at Utah's Alta ski resort. Carr loves launching himself off cliffs on skis so much that he holds two world records in the sport. And with more than 500 inches of annual snowfall, Alta is his favorite place on Earth for cliff jumping. "Light powder with a great base—Utah snow is the best! But don't tell anyone."
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Sunset Highlining Near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Photograph by Tim Kemple
"Climbing, and life in general, in Brazil was totally mind-blowing—the relaxed culture, varied climbing objectives, and an inspiring landscape that combines jungle, mountain, and ocean," says climber-artist Renan Ozturk of this trip to film a documentary about Brazilian friend who died—and to capture the adventures of her homeland. Here, Ozturk carefully makes his way across a highline at Gavea Stone, overlooking the glittering lights of Rio di Janeiro. "This was a scary moment to capture on film because I had to mount the line in the dark over the void and then keep my balance in the strong wind as my good friend Tim popped a huge flash in my face. It was a great adventure."
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Climbing the Arch of Bishekele, Ennedi Desert, Chad
Photograph by Jimmy Chin, Fame Pictures
"Fifteen feet above me was the top of the most incredible piece of rock I had ever seen," says climber James Pearson of ascending the 180-foot Arch of Bishekele in Chad's Ennedi Desert. Traveling for more than 10,000 miles over four days, a team of all-star climbers—including Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold, Renan Ozturk, and Pearson—became the first to scale the arid sandstone stacks and sheer walls of this remote desert. "The climbing looked harder than below, but my gut told me to try, and after five very tense minutes I arrived on top of my wildest summit yet," recalls Pearson. "As my eyes took in the vista, I realized I was the first human ever to see this view."
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Kiteboarding in Cumbuco, Brazil
Photograph by Maurício Val, Fotocom
"The leading rank was at stake, so I was putting every ounce of focus I had on that move," recalls competitive Brazilian kiteboarder Guilly Brandão of the final heat in the Volkswagen Kite Tour 2010 in Cumbuco, Brazil last November. "I was thinking about nothing, just feeling the board, the kite, and starting to aim for the next move on the wave." Located in northern Brazil, Cumbuco is a kiteboarder's paradise with strong winds blowing the entire season, from June to November. Brandão won his fifth wave title during this competition.
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Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Tahiti
Photograph by Chuck Patterson
"I had surfed and tow surfed here before," says big-wave surfer Chuck Patterson about Teahupoo, a renowned surf spot in Tahiti. "But I always wondered what it would feel like to get tubed on my stand up paddle surf board—this is what I came for." The water is sucked off a shallow, razor sharp reef, making the barrel break below sea level. "This wave is incredibly challenging to paddle into, let alone surf," notes Patterson. "Any mistakes could be costly." The photograph was taken by a camera mounted to his board.
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Biking South Africa's Table Mountain
Photograph by Nick Muzik, Caters News Agency
"Riding on top of Table Mountain was something I had to do," says professional mountain biker Kenny Belaey. "The landscape is just perfect for trials—but I had to be really careful." Belaey pulled out every daredevil trick imaginable, from wheelies to bunny hops, to explore the famous 3,559-foot flat-top sandstone mountain overlooking Cape Town. To reach the top at sunrise, he hiked through the night, carrying his 20-pound bike on his back.
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Kayaking Nepal's Upper Seti River
Photograph by Tim Ripper, My Shot
"Nepal's Upper Seti Canyon is one of the most beautiful places I've been," says kayaker-filmmaker Josh Neilson of this exploratory expedition to run a rarely accessed steep section high up on Seti River. "You'd think your heart would be racing at the lip of a drop like this, but it's just the opposite," says Neilson. "The rushing water is silenced by concentration, and time almost stands still."
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Bodysurfing the North Shore, Hawaii
Photograph by Ryan Foley, A-Frame
"At this moment, Paul Mclaughlin and I were throwing ourselves into crazy huge barrels trying to fly right over the camera," says competitive bodysurfer Ryan Hailstones (left), who just placed fifth in the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic in February. Ke Iki Beach, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, is a famous bodysurfing spot, but also very dangerous. Only the pros can take on the shallow water and fierce waves, which literally break in dry sand.
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Ice Climbing in Eidfjord, Norway
Photograph by Christian Pondella, Red Bull Content Pool
"It felt like climbing a chandelier," says world-renowned ice climber Will Gadd of completing the first ascent of 650-foot Skrikjofossen during a frigid February in Eidfjord, Norway. "This was, by far, the most difficult frozen waterfall I had ever climbed—or plan to." But for Gadd, the opportunity to explore the caves behind frozen waterfalls makes the risk worth it. "The mix of light, atmosphere, and the temporary nature of these jeweled rooms inspires awe." Gadd's route has not seen a second ascent.
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Jumping the Mount Baker Road Gap, Washington
Photograph by Garrett Grove
After a long day of exploring Mount Baker’s backcountry, a group of expert skiers, including professional telemarker Paul Kimbrough (pictured), ventured toward the legendary Mount Baker Road Gap, a rite of passage among local skiers and snowboarders. It took a few hours to build up the jump, consider all the safety precautions, and set up flashes. Because it was so dark, the car was actually parked, so Kimbrough could have a sense of where he was. "When I dropped in I could barely see the in-run as the light faded," recalls Kimbrough, "but I was confident and it felt great to 360 through light snowflakes and ride out clean."
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Free Soloing in Yosemite National Park
Photograph by Mikey Schaefer, National Geographic
With no rope to save him from a fall, daredevil climber Dean Potter free solos a route called Heaven on Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park, California. Half Dome appears in the distance.
Watch videos of amazing feats by Potter and other superclimbers of Yosemite featured in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic (read the article or see the photo gallery). Then unlock bonus video clips when you share them via Facebook or Twitter.
Video: Jimmy Chin Capturing Yosemite's Superclimbers >>
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Kayaking La Paz Falls, Costa Rica
Photograph by Lucas Gilman
Professional kayaker Pat Keller plunges over 120-foot La Paz Falls in the central highlands of Costa Rica. Keller survived the extreme drop—though he broke his right hand.
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Surfing Waimea Bay, Hawaii
Photograph by Dave Collyer
Surfer Jamilah Star escapes a close-out, a wave that breaks along its entire length all at once, at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. "As the swell got bigger, the crowd got thinner," says photographer Dave Collyer. "This was one of the waves that closed out. Two Jet Skis barely made it over this wave, and Jamilah, who had just paddled out, barely got over the top of the crest."
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Backcountry Skiing, Austria
Photograph and caption by Amin Zavieh, My Shot
A skier cuts through powder on a peak in Saalbach, Austria. This region of Salzburg is a popular destination for skiers, with multiple runs and extensive backcountry options.
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Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Photograph by Monica Dalmasso, Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Competitors in the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge trek across the desert during the six-day endurance race. Racers began with a triathlon-style prologue in Abu Dhabi city, then traveled by bus to Al Ain, where they confronted the Jebel Hafeet mountain range. Next they hiked across the Rub al Khali desert before ending the challenge with a sea kayaking leg.
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BASE Jumping, Utah
Photograph by Michael Clark, Red Bull Content Pool
A Red Bull Air Force Team member BASE jumps off a cliff in southwestern Utah. The extra fabric in the wing suits creates lift allowing the jumper to "fly." Parachutes aid in a safe landing.