1. Big-Wave Surfing Teahupoo, Tahiti
“Falling wasn't an option,” was the thought running through the mind of big-wave surfer and waterman Mark Healey as he rode this wave. “Teahupoo is truly one of the wonders of the world. I’ve been making an annual pilgrimage to there for the past 17 years.”
Last week's swells were particularly large - the largest in recent memory - at the wave break just off Tahiti, which beckoned many of the world's best big-wave surfers. From his home in Oahu, Hawaii, Healey had monitored a complex storm system that spawned off of Antarctica. When the storm was 48 hours out and still looked massive, he booked his flight.
“This was a very special wave for me because it was the largest I have ever ridden at Teahupoo. It took a culmination of experience from my years there to ride it successfully,” says Healy. But with the huge waves come huge risks - and some surfers ended up in the hospital. “After I caught this wave, I got on the Jet Ski and towed my friends into some waves and ran safety,” he recalls. “You can't get too greedy. I got what I had come for that day.”
Getting the Shot
“In the morning, the waves were six to eight feet and surfers were paddling out," recalls surfer and adventure photographer Frederico Pompermayer. "At 11 a.m., the first tow-in set came in with a 15-foot swell, which is too big to paddle. After that, the swells increased and picked up. By the end of the day, we saw a couple of sets come in at 25 feet."
Pompermayer watched and photographed Healey catching this massive wave. “Mark Healey was towed into the perfect position with the exact speed he needed to set him up for this insane wave,” says Pompermayer. “This trip was fantastic because we had two big-swell days. It was so crowded - all the big riders from around the world showed up for this swell. It was a challenge to get a good shot on the boat because of the amount of boats and Jet Skis in the area, but I found it exciting.”
Pompermayer shot with a Canon EOS 1D X, a f/4, 70-200mm lens, and a SanDisk Extreme memory card.
2. Skiing Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
“I love skiing for the adrenaline rush as well as the exploration that skis provide,” says skier Dan Treadway, a regular on the pages of ski magazines and seen here hitting a 20-foot cliff in his home turf, Whistler, British Columbia. It had not snowed in a week or so, but Treadway and photographer Reuben Krabbe found creative playgrounds like this one to showcase in the seventh annual ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Challenge, a photography contest where six photographers have 72 hours to shoot in-bounds at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort.
“Whistler has North America’s best lift-accessed terrain, and many of the world’s best athletes come here to push their limits,” says Treadway. “I moved to Whistler 18 years ago. The biggest change is that back then you knew everyone, and if you didn't, they didn't live here.“
Getting the Shot
“I had seen other photographs with the idea of shooting action sports from an angle below a cliff but wanted to try a slightly different variation,” says photographer Reuben Krabbe.
Facing mediocre snow conditions, Krabbe focused on the challenging terrain and set up underneath a cliff. “This photograph was the second time Dan hit the cliff. The first time, I asked him to kick a lot of slough off the cliff, so he would be in the air with the falling snow. However, there was so much snow falling that you couldn't see him. The second time we opted for as little snow as possible, and it worked out perfectly,” says Krabbe.
“I love using colour to add to the emotion of the shot, so the blue colouring is partially a postproduction technique. We were also shooting on the shadow side of Whistler Mountain and looking up into blue skies,” says Krabbe.
Krabbe finished the competition in second place and walked away knowing Whistler’s terrain better. “I learned a lot from working with both Dave and Dan Treadway. Together they catch a huge number of magazine pages every year, so they know light, terrain, and photography almost as well as many photographers.”
Krabbe photographed with a Nikon D700 and a 17mm f/2.8 lens.
3. Surfing Jaws, Maui, Hawaii
Getting the Shot
“I was so stoked to watch through my viewfinder" as big-wave surfer Shane Dorian was in position for this massive wave, recalls surf photographer Fred Pompermayer. "As soon as he made it through the huge drop, I could see that he was going to make the huge barrel.”
Pompermayer originally was going to skip photographing this early season session at Jaws, a Maui surf break known for its ferocious waves. He changed his plans the night before and arrived on the island the next morning. Two hours after landing, he was in the water capturing Shane Dorian’s winning ride for the Billabong XXL Tube Ride of the Year.
“With the swell picking up in the afternoon, the waves continued to grow,” Pompermayer says. “Just before dark a huge set came in and washed every surfer out. Shane was the only one that was able to make through the sets and was able to stay far out.
“It was an incredible moment. Then he disappeared into the spray of the barrel. It was one of those hold-your-breath kind of moments, to see if he would make it out. I kept shooting and was thrilled to see him reappear. Everyone who saw this ride knew Shane had just scored the ride of the year, no doubt,” Pompermayer says.
Pompermayer shot with a Canon EOS 1Dx and a Canon 70-200mm lens, along with his customized water housing.
4. Climbing Sea Cliffs, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA
"Come on arms, do your stuff!" was the thought running through climber Hazel Findlay's mind as she climbed this hundred-foot route after a long day on the weathered sea cliffs of Maine. Findlay started climbing on some boulders just above the water; climber Alex Honnold is seen below her. The trip was a stopover after a North Face team expedition to climb sea cliffs in Newfoundland.
"The sea cliffs in Maine were quite small - a hundred feet. The wall in Newfoundland was probably 1,500 feet," says Findlay. "But the cliffs in Maine are right above the water, so that makes it feel very dramatic and intense.
"I actually learned how to climb on the sea cliffs of my own country, so it was really cool to visit some other sea cliffs on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean," says the British climber who now lives out of cars and suitcases. "Often trips aren't about how good the climbing is, but the adventures you end up having getting there."
Getting the Shot
“We needed to air out and dry out, so why not climb in Maine on the way home?” says photographer and adventurer Tim Kemple, who grew up spending his summers climbing in the state. “I was psyched to share the area with friends," which, in this case, included elite climbers Findlay and Honnold. After a soggy shoot in Newfoundland, the trio stopped in at Acadia National Park to climb. “The cliff is called Great Head. I'm not sure of the name of the route or if it had ever been climbed. We were just psyched to finally monkey around after weeks in the rain,” recalls Kemple.
To capture the steep angle and water and to keep the belayer in the frame, Kemple rappelled from the top of the cliff. “I climbed without a shirt on to work on my tan,” jokes Kemple.
5. Skiing Portillo, Chile, Overlooking Laguna del Inca
“We really didn't notice how amazing the ice formations on the lake were when we were shooting,” says Aspen, Colorado-based ski mountaineer Chris Davenport, seen here at Portillo, Chile, overlooking Laguna del Inca. “We knew the snow was amazing, but it wasn't until we looked at the images on the computer that night that we knew we had something special.”
Davenport and photographer Christian Pondella were in-bounds but had hiked about 20 minutes up above the Roca Jack lift into a zone where very few people go. “We had two feet of powder, and then the sun came out and began creating those awesome formations on the lake,” Davenport recalls. “Timing is everything in the mountains, and we timed this shot perfectly.”
Davenport has been hosting events and ski camps at the resort for the past 13 years. "Portillo is truly one of the world's most unique and special ski destinations,” he says. “There is no town there, just a gorgeous, old hotel at the foot of the lake high in the Andes, which caters to all types of skiers and boarders, from families to free riders. I bring my kids there every season because it's such a kid-friendly mountain - they can't get lost!”
Getting the Shot
“When we first got there, the lake was all open water, then it slowly changed into this abstract formation,” says Pondella, who was in Portillo to ski and shoot with Davenport. “I had photographed in Portillo before, but never had this particular shot in mind. It was not until this trip that we watched the lake transform like it did."
Pondella and Davenport shot the entire day without getting the particular frame they had in mind, due to the terrain. The two had to wrap the shoot in order to catch a bus and make a flight home. “As we were skiing down to the bottom, I looked over and saw this one patch of snow with the lake behind it and shouted to Chris, ‘That’s our shot,’" Pondella says. "This was the last shot of our trip, and for sure the best one as it all came together exactly as I had envisioned earlier in the day."
Pondella photographed with a Canon Mark 1D III and a f/4, 24-105mm lens.
6. Snowboarding in Laax, Switzerland
Getting the Shot
"This was the first camp for me - it was actually the first of its type in Europe, so I was quite happy to hang out with such young, talented riders," says photographer Lorenz Richard, who took this shot of Dutch snowboarder Dimi Dejong at the Red Bull Junior Snow Performance Camp in Laax, Switzerland. "The goal was to tell the whole story of the event with action, lifestyle, and portrait images. It was more of a reportage, which I really like."
"A big challenge was the weather. It changed from sunny with blue skies to cloudy and over-shiny conditions within minutes. Everybody was motivated to get shots," recalls Richard. In a controlled event environment it can be difficult to capture unique photographs. "I had two approaches. First, the pipe in Laax is quite known for images with the round restaurant in the background, so I wanted to avoid that angle; The second approach was more graphic. While shooting, I was trying to get the images as clean and organized as possible. I think when you are spontaneous you get the best shots."
7. Climbing Red Dihedral, Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, USA
“Getting to the top of a climb that you put your heart and soul into is always less satisfying than going through the process of being able to do it,” says climber Jesse Huey, seen here free climbing the challenging Red Dihedral route located an hour-and-a-half hike from his doorstep in Boulder, Colorado. Huey had attempted this route over eight days in January 2013. “When I saw that several holds had been broken, it took way more effort to figure out the route than what I had originally anticipated,” says Huey of the sandstone conglomerate.
Even on cold winter days like this one, it was still too hot to climb in direct sunlight, so timing had to be just right. “Below where this photo was taken was a bit of climbing so difficult that if it was even remotely too hot, your shoe rubber would not stick to the friction of the wall,” recalls Huey, whose climbing partner Josh Wharton was bundled up in down jackets on belay below him. "Then when the shade hit, we had less than an hour to climb before we couldn't feel our fingers."
On the day that he actually completed the climb, Huey went to yoga the night before and spent an hour warming up in the gym before hiking out to the climb. “It actually became very stressful because of a looming raptor closure for the area that went into effect January 31,” says Huey. “I finally finished on January 31. That felt really great.”
Getting the Shot
“I went to shoot Jesse on the Red Dihedral because of its notorious reputation,” recalls photographer John Dickey. “And shooting images gives you the best seat in the house for all the sports action.”
Keeping pace with Huey kept Dickey challenged as he was planning the photographs he wanted to capture. “That day conditions were too hot for success in direct sunlight, which was very fortunate because I got to shoot Jesse trying extra hard, right as the shade line was creeping up,” says Dickey. “I had seen the lighting effect previously on that wall and was hoping the timing would work out as it did.”
After watching Huey work the tough route for a few days, the right elements aligned. “The lighting was all natural and timing alone allowed it to come together. I had sat and watched the shadow line several days before and timed it out with Jesse's ambitions,” recalls Dickey.
Dickey photographed with a Canon 5d Mark II and a Canon 20mm, f/2.8 lens.
8. Skiing Mount Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada
"It's not normal to have this kind of view, but it's very artistic," says French skier Julien Lopez. "We call that a sea of clouds, and it makes the mountain even more beautiful." Lopez was competing in the first event of the Freeride World Tour on Mount Mackenzie, near Revelstoke in British Columbia, Canada, in January 2013. "I could see a part of the terrain, but not everything - but I knew the mountain face, so didn't matter to me."
On Lopez's back is an avalanche airbag backpack loaded up with a shovel, probe, water, and snacks so that he would be prepared in the event of a slide.
In the middle of his run he had to drop a massive cliff, but he had looked at the spot for a long time and knew exactly what to do when he got there. "I got third place, so I guess I had a good run. The snow conditions were so good."
Lopez, who lives in Tresserve, France, started skiing when he was a year old and loves surfing and mountain biking in the summer.
Getting the Shot
With the race set to begin, photographer David Carlier knew the shot he wanted to capture. "The light was beautiful due to the very cold air and a very low sun. I knew that skier Julien Lopez, aka the Flying French Man, would go big, straight off the starting gate for his first Freeride World Tour contest in 2013,” says Carlier.
“I positioned myself right on the edge of the face to be able to shoot Lopez in the air to give a dynamic angle to the photo. I wanted to capture the competition venue visible under his skis, with Julien literally jumping into the clouds. His athletic body position gives a lot of dynamic energy to the shot, and the clouds give a sense of remoteness and elevation.”
Carlier battled bitter conditions throughout the competition. “That day was very cold, -35°C/-31°F on top of Mount Mackenzie. With the extreme freezing conditions it was pretty hard to operate my Nikon D800 control wheels and buttons with big gloves, so I had to take them off to make the shots,” recalls Carlier.
9. Climbing Myrdalsjokull Glacier, Iceland
“The light in Iceland in the wintertime has more shades and tones than anywhere I have been - it feels like being on an ice film set in Mordor in Lord of the Rings,” says 16-year veteran ice climber Tim Emmett, seen here climbing Iceland’s Mýrdalsjökull Glacier, which was ashy from a recent volcanic eruption.
Emmett and climbing partner Dawn Glanc, pictured on belay, spent ten days in the land of fire and ice climbing new routes and meeting the locals. “Iceland was going through a warm spell, so we looked for a glacier to climb instead of an icefall,” recalls Emmett, who is moving to Squamish, British Columbia, to take advantage of its easy access to world-class adventures. “This was a perfect, very surreal day of climbing.”
Getting the Shot
On this trip, the biggest challenge wasn’t the climbing, but battling the weather. “The snow we were experiencing in Iceland was more like falling slush - it soaked everything,” recalls photographer Keith Ladzinski. “Keeping the gear dry was a huge challenge. Much of the time I was shooting with my jacket over the camera, when possible. I brought two small towels and used them more or less, nonstop.”
Racing a pending storm in the otherworldly landscape, Ladzinski and crew climbed the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier as dark clouds rolled in. As evening approached and the sky took on a purple haze, Ladzinski used a split-neutral density filter to help retain his exposure and darken the sky in the mixed lighting. “Bad weather generally makes for the best photographs,” says Ladzinski. “Dramatic and foreboding clouds made for the perfect sky and the overcast weather, which only made the blue glacier that much more vibrant.”
Ladzinski photographed with a Nikon D800 and 16-35mm lens.
10. Bodyboarding Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
“All I do is push a button," says surfing photographer Ray Collins. "At the end of the day, the people riding the waves are the heroes."
In February 2013, Collins was photographing at Hawaii’s famed Pipeline break. "That day it was big, rogue Pipeline. Whether shooting in the water or on land, there is always something new to learn, fear, and respect," says Collins, who has shot several seasons at this wave. "It was between the surfers' Pipe comp and the body-boarders' Pipe comp, so the best of the best were out there."
Collins captured this shot of an unknown body-boarder taking on a wave that no one else rode. “What is known is that the wave crashed - it shook the ground when it broke, and it broke directly on him,” he says.
“Sometimes it can make you feel a bit sick to witness these moments," Collins says. "I struggle with that, especially when I’m in the water, too, but it’s my job to document it. I just want these guys to be able to go home safe, to their loved ones, at the end of the day."
Collins photographed with a Nikon D4, a 200-400mm lens, and a 1.4x converter. Follow him on Instagram @raycollinsphoto.
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