Photograph by Carsten Peter , National Geographic
Veteran guide John Robens (at far left) leads a soggy team through a moss-covered passage in Claustral Canyon, a few hours' hike from their exit point. Canyoneering is all about the serendipity of discovery, he says. "You walk for miles and suddenly you find yourself in this magical spot."
Photograph by Guy Anderson, Your Shot
The town of Hilton in South Africa is known for its misty weather, which came out in full force for an annual mountain bike classic. The unusually wet winter's day challenged competitors with muddy tracks, low visibility, and an icy wind. I battled to just keep my camera dry, and after failing to obtain sharp images through the haze, I took a step back and framed this shot, which captures the adventurous rider tackling the harsh environment.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
Photograph by Tim Kemple
The sunset slackline image is of my good friend Renan Ozturk slacklining over the Gavea Stone in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
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Photograph by George Steinmetz , National Geographic
On the eastern margin of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia , expedition cars attempt to cross the flats after flooding from heavy March rains.
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Photograph by Nikolay Radosnov , My Shot
A Sherpa carries luggage in the vicinity of the Tengboche Monastery, Nepal .
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
Photograph by Michael Nichols , National Geographic
Partway up a 350-foot tree, botanist Marie Antoine (at right) passes a slender core sample of its wood 750 years of redwood biography to canopy ecologist Giacomo Renzullo. Research now shows that the older such trees get, the more wood they put on.
Photograph by Erik Seo
Max Kuszaj skis at sunset in Alta, Utah .
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Photograph by Carsten Peter , National Geographic
A volcanologist strides through a murky expanse of steam on Mutnovsky Volcano during an expedition to Kamchatka, Russia . The steam billows from a fumarole, or a vent created by heated groundwater and rising volcanic gas, and it serves as a visible reminder that the peninsula is one of the most volcanically active regions in the world, with some 29 active volcanoes.
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Photograph by Luka Tambaca, Your Shot
The long retention of low temperature favored the icing of small Sopot waterfall on Medvednica mountain. The red sky comes from the city lights of nearby Zagreb. Sopot waterfall is the only one in the area, therefore alpinists from Zagreb use every chance for climbing it and staying in shape.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
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Photograph by Brian Skerry , National Geographic
What looks like a tangle of gnarled cables is in fact a forest of deepwater whip coral in Suruga Bay. Each strand is studded with feeding polyps that reach tiny tentacles into the currents to grab floating food.
Photograph by Tony Heff , My Shot
Surfer Coco Ho is momentarily suspended weightless between the ocean's surface and the shallow reef.
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
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Photograph by Mike Schirf
Taken last July out on the salt flats on the border of Utah and Nevada with a good friend of mine who is an aspiring triathlete.
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Photograph by Jed Weingarten, Your Shot
Luke Spencer paddles off Outlet Falls in Washington State.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
Photograph by Wes C. Skiles , National Geographic
Following the guideline her life depends on, a diver threads the needle through a stalagmite forest in Dan's Cave on Abaco Island. A single, misplaced fin kick can shatter mineral formations tens of thousands of years old.
Photograph by Carsten Peter , National Geographic
A cooking tent belonging to expedition scientists glows in the twilight on the rim of the Nyiragongo volcano one of the most active in the world in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
See pictures from the April 2011 feature story "The Volcano Next Door."
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez , National Geographic
Climber John "Razor Sharp" Benson weaves through skin-ripping pinnacles. In Malagasy, the formations are called tsingy, meaning "where one cannot walk barefoot." The terrain resists intrusions from hunters, hungry cattle, and wildfires.
Photograph by Cory Richards, National Geographic
At dawn, a sliver of moon shines above the Western Cwm.
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Photograph by Kim Eijdenberg, Your Shot
A skier in Whistler, Canada , jumps through a ring of fire.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
Photograph by Haukur Sigurdsson , My Shot
Kayaking in Torssukatak fjord, near Kummiut, east Greenland
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
Photograph by Haukur Sigurdsson , My Shot
Kayaking in Torssukatak fjord, near Kummiut, east Greenland
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
Photograph by Michael Christopher Brown , National Geographic
Arrigetch Peaks, August 23, 2010 "These teeter-tottering granite boulders all wanted to slide," Andrew Skurka says of a talus-covered pass in the central Brooks Range, where his friend Roman Dial joined him.
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez , National Geographic
The crash of rapids surrounds expedition leader David Gill, left, and Herb Laeger near the entrance of Ora Cave. Hot acidic waters welling up from deep underground, combined with drainage from heavy rains, have carved a maze of tunnels and chambers through New Britain s young limestone.
See pictures from the September 2006 feature story "Raging Danger."
Photograph by Micael Martel, Your Shot
This shot was taken in Montreal . I m documenting the lifestyle and the passion of freerunners. Parkour is not a sport, it is a way of life, a discipline based on respect and physical and mental training. Evolving and always pushing the limits of their body and their mind, these passionate athletes stop at nothing to perfect themselves and help other freerunners to do the same. In this shot, my friend, after a lot of training, did a backflip from a four-meter-high building.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
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Photograph by David Doubilet , National Geographic
Marine life in the Yongala shipwreck, Great Barrier Reef
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Photograph by Susheel Shrestha , My Shot
The Bodhnath Stupa is a World Heritage site in Kathmandu, Nepal . Kathmandu is for many a gateway to Mount Everest .
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
Photograph by Jimmy Chin , National Geographic
Alex Honnold takes on the third zigzag of Half Dome without a rope. He has just one more difficult section, or pitch, in the last three before reaching the summit.
Watch a video of Alex performing a free-solo climb » See more pictures of extreme sports » Learn more about Yosemite National Park »
Photograph by Neo Melanthiou, Your Shot
A picture that depicts Malibu's beauty from a different perspective. The exposure of the ocean's bottom due to the low tide, in combination with the surrounding gulls, make the surfer experience the ocean's powerful aura.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
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Photograph by Lisa Wu, Your Shot
A hiker pauses on the Neahkahnie Mountain Trail, located on the Oregon coast.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
Photograph by Michael Christopher Brown , National Geographic
Dillinger River, April 17, 2010 "Despite my best efforts, my leather ski boots got soaked by the melting snow," says Andrew Skurka , who tried to leap across some creeks and rivers. "At night everything froze solid. In the morning I had to force myself to slip my feet into the icy boots."
Photograph by Ron Dahlquist , My Shot
There is an incredible coral bloom off the village of Olowalu on Maui's south shore. I've seen the coral from a helicopter numerous times and always thought it would photograph beautifully, especially if I could arrange for some kayakers to be paddling in and around the coral to add scale to the scene.
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
Photograph by Tim Butch, Your Shot
My friend Wes Stalls gave me a call one spring morning letting me know the winds were blowing out of the east and were soarable. This picture was taken at Jockey s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina . It is a 90-foot-tall sand dune plus smaller ones situated on a small strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Albemarle Sound. The Wright brothers took the first powered flight just five miles up the road from where this picture was taken. Wes was able to get in five or six turns before making his landing.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
Photograph by Cory Richards, National Geographic
The sun sets over the west shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and Mount Nuptse.
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