Free Climbing the Totem Pole, Tasmania, Australia

Free Climbing the Totem Pole, Tasmania, Australia

Photograph by Simon Carter

Australian climbers Doug McConnell (leading) and Dean Rollins (belaying) are seen on the Totem Pole, a slender 215-foot-high dolerite column that has long fascinated rock climbers. Located at Cape Hauy on the Tasman

Ice Climbing Fearful Symmetry, Canadian Rockies, Alberta

Ice Climbing Fearful Symmetry, Canadian Rockies, Alberta

Photograph by Forest Woodward

Getting the Shot
"When we arrived at the base of the pillar, there was another group with us who took one look and decided, 'No thanks, that's above our pay grade,' " recalls photographer Forest Woodward, who took this shot of ice climber Graham Zimmerman in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta. "I

Kayaking the Mekong River, Laos

Kayaking the Mekong River, Laos

“The moment that I savor most in kayaking in extreme places is the one that is captured here. We're well beyond the point of no return, where the anticipation, excitement, and anxiety of the outcome meld into a singular focus and you become totally absorbed in the moment,” says kayaker and

Deepwater Soloing the Musandam Peninsula, Oman

Deepwater Soloing the Musandam Peninsula, Oman

Photograph by Jimmy Chin

Getting the Shot
“In some ways, shooting someplace new is great because you see everything fresh and with new eyes,” says photographer Jimmy Chin. Chin, on assignment for National Geographic magazine, photographed

Stand-up Paddleboarding Jaws, Hawaii

Stand-up Paddleboarding Jaws, Hawaii

Photograph by Richard Hallman

Getting the Shot
“Things at Jaws happen so fast, I wasn't sure it was even Kai taking off on the wave until my Skidoo driver pointed and said, ‘Kai Lenny,’ ” recalls surf photographer Richard Hallman. “I focused my attention on the wave because I knew he was riding stand-up and even though the wave was

Climbing Superfortress, Near Vail, Colorado

Climbing Superfortress, Near Vail, Colorado

Photograph by Celin Serbo

"I was completely engaged in the climbing, not thinking, not doing, just being," says climber Will Mayo of his second ascent of Superfortress, a very difficult mixed ice and rock climbing route near Vail, Colorado. "Yet when the partially formed icicle of the Fang collapsed beneath my feet,

Climbing Hallucinogen Wall, Black Canyon, Colorado

Climbing Hallucinogen Wall, Black Canyon, Colorado

Photograph by John Dickey

Getting the Shot
“I had never even seen the Black Canyon before this climb. Turns out the Black is infamous for a reason,” says photographer John Dickey, who joined climber Josh Wharton on Hallucinogen Wall in Colorado's Black Canyon. “I've been shooting on big walls for over a decade and when I