Gallant into grandness: ice climbing, snowboarding. Photos: bravest man, utmost challenge to self, at a stroke of Nature's luck

Snowboarding in the Himalaya, Nepal

Ice Climbing at Dusk in Ouray Ice Park, Colorado

Ice Climbing in Zirknitzgrotte, Austria

Snowboarding the Pemberton Ice Cap, British Columbia

Backcountry Skiing Mount Superior, Wasatch, Utah

Ice Climbing in Kootenay National Park, Canada

Snowboarding Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand

Skiing Under the Northern Lights in Norway

Skiing the Pemberton Ice Cap, British Columbia

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Snowboarding in the Himalaya, Nepal - "I think this is probably the highest and burliest spine line ever done on a snowboard," says photographer Andrew Miller. Miller had met snowboarder Jeremy Jones, one of our Adventurers of the Year, two weeks earlier while testing snowboards in Chile. Soon after, Miller heard from Jones. "I got a call from Jeremy asking if I had any interest in a trip to Nepal because a spot might open up. A few days later, he called back to see if I was still serious about going. And a few days after that, he called to tell me the spot was mine if I wanted it. I said 'yes.' "
Ice Climbing at Dusk in Ouray Ice Park, Colorado - photographer Michael Clark took this shot of professional ice climber and guide Dawn Glanc at dusk. The 200-foot-deep gorge is spanned by two bridges.

Ice Climbing in Zirknitzgrotte, Austria - photographer and climber Martin Lugger said, “At the time it was very questionable to climb this ice rock because of the danger that it would break and crash—along with the climber (Peter Ortner).”

Snowboarding the Pemberton Ice Cap, British Columbia - photographer Mark Gribbon got this shot of snowboarder Joel Loverin, seen here on the Pemberton Ice Cap in British Columbia, Canada. “The cold nights would turn the snow into a sheet of ice, then we would have to wait until the afternoon for the snow to soften up to ride anything,” recalls Gribbon. When getting this shot, he faced tough weather conditions—for both snowboarding and photographing.

Backcountry Skiing Mount Superior, Wasatch, Utah - "A photographer's dream"—that’s how top ski photographer Will Wissman describes the day he made this picture with ski mountaineer Caroline Gleich. "I have skied Superior nearly a hundred times, and this day would be in the top three for snow conditions. It was deep, light, and stable."

Climbing in Kootenay National Park, Canada - "They are magical and lovely," says ice climber Jen Olson of the ice stalactites and stalagmites seen here in Caveman cave located a half-hour hike from Upper Haffner Creek in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. "It’s so fun to take pictures of them, as well as the gigantic hoar frost on the roof of the cave," said photographer Paul Bride.

Olson is seen during a difficult section on a route called Neolithic. "This is a big move, and when you release the lower tool, your body responds by swinging past horizontal to compensate. Controlling the swing is the crux of the route," says Olson. "On this route, you have all your weight on your arms for long periods of time, so the clock is ticking. You need to keep moving to keep holding on."

Snowboarding Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand - photograph by Chester Boyes. Perfect conditions on the last day of the season at Mount Ruapehu's Turoa ski field made it one of the best days of the year. Here, a snowboarder on the ideal spring snow makes a turn toward Mount Ruapehu's volcanic crater. Located on New Zealand's North Island, Ruapehu is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with its last major eruption occurring in 2007.

Skiing Under the Northern Lights in Norway - photographer Fredrik Schenholm took this shot of skier Oscar Hübinette racing down a mountain on the island of Senja in northern Norway. It took Schenholm and Hübinette 21 nights—and 21 treks up the mountain—to finally get the right conditions to capture this stunning photograph.

Skiing the Pemberton Ice Cap, British Columbia - "We were out enjoying a really deep day of skiing on the Pemberton ice cap," says photographer Grant Gunderson of this shot he took of skier Josh Daiek in Pemberton, British Columbia. "When we reached the toe of the glacier, we spotted this drop-off, and we both knew that Josh just had to hit it. We needed to get Josh correctly lined up so that he wouldn’t land on any hidden ice chunks that may have fallen off the glacier before the last storm."

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