Nature Photo Contest Week #5 - MOUNTAINS MONDAY WINNERS!

naturecontest (43)in #naturephotocontest • 7 years ago

NATURE PHOTO CONTEST WEEK #5 - MOUNTAINS MONDAY WINNERS!

Thank you for your stunning submissions to this contest! The photos were judged by @caseygrimley.
"It’s always fun to see the mountains of the world, so thank you for sharing them. I realize I have so many places to visit now. Having grown up at the foot of the Wasatch mountains in Utah, I have great appreciation for the beauty of mountains. Congrats to all the winners and thank you all for making it extremely difficult to narrow down." ~ Casey

FIRST PLACE (30% of this post’s SBD): @intrepidphotos

Mountains Monday Week 5 FIRST PLACE @intrepidphotos .jpeg

“Northwest face of the Devil’s Thumb. “Like the Sirens who lured Ulysses to a blissful yet certain death, the northwest face of the Devil’s Thumb continues to tempt the alpinist onto her flanks" Dieter Klose. Late night alpenglow adds a soft touch, however few peaks inspire the same mix of fear and respect as the Devil's Thumb. A relatively low altitude peak at 2,767 m (9,077 ft) the notorious northwest face rises 2,042 m (6,700 ft) from its base. With an average angle of 67 degrees it is considered the steepest wall of that magnitude in all of North America.

While the peak itself was first climbed by Fred Becky in 1946, the northwest face remains unclimbed after five decades of attempts by scores of climbers including some of the world’s top mountaineers. Most never even made it to the start of the face, while at least three teams have perished in the process. Dieter Klose who in 1982 made it halfway up the route, higher than anybody else alive, commented in the American Alpine journal that ‘as a rock climb it’s a perfect place to commit suicide”. The warm coastal winds, extreme Alaskan precipitation levels, and Patagonian style variability in weather all combine to make the conditions on the face notoriously slippery and prone to avalanche. A small theoretical climbing window is possible during the spring transition when storms can create thaw-freeze conditions and stabilise the face however many believe the level of weather variability is so extreme that it will never be climbed. No one has attempted the face since 2003 when two Canadian climbers perished.”

SECOND PLACE (20% of this post’s SBD): @dymtrokorol

Mountains Monday Week 5 SECOND PLACE @dymtrokorol .jpeg

“Moving on the National Road 258 we have seen different seasons on a short distance of 27 km. From summer greens on the beginning to snowy winter with a ski resort closer to the end and the summer again down in the valley.”

THIRD PLACE (10% of this post’s SBD): @fotogruppemunich

Mountains Monday Week 5 THIRD PLACE @fotogruppemunich .jpeg

“You can see here the Zugspitze. This is germany's highest mountain.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS (5% each of this post’s SBD)

@alevaskye

“My favorite stretch of highway in Alaska. 💙”

@dolomitidreaming

“An amazing reflection of the Becco di Mezzodì (2603 m) in the Federa Lake (2038 m) in the Dolomites nearby Cortina d'Ampezzo. A not expected jewel in the heart of these beautiful mountains. A hike that you cannot miss if you come and visit this area.”

@photovisions

“One of my favourite shot of this peak called Pap of Glencoe with nice reflections in waters of Loch Leven, Scottish Highlands. Perfect weather conditions when heavy, rainy clouds are mixing together with low, autumnal sunlight.”

@mrprofessor

“Torres del Paine national Park, Chile. The granite peaks seen in this picture are the Torres del Paine (Towers) and can go up to a height of 2,900 m. One of the most amazing places I've ever been.”

@scottshots

“Mountains x2. This fiery sunset was photographed at Donner Lake in Truckee, California. Donner Summit can be seen in this distance. There are also many great photo opportunity spots from that mountain looking back down at the lake.”

@sjarvie5