Photographer
Christian Pondella
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA
Camera: Sony A1
- Issues
- 9
- Stories
- 11
- First issue
- 2012
- Latest issue
- 2023
Stories by Christian Pondella
USA · Sierra Nevada (Mammoth Lakes)
Was it a Dream
Yet another 4 am alarm abruptly wakes me from my sleep. I can't remember the last time I slept in. But the snow is soft as butter from the desert to the tops of the ridge lines, the wind is calm, and …
2023 · Zak Mills · 4 min
Österreich · Zillertal Alps
David Lama’s Backyard
October 2018. As Hilaree and I walked into the Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu for a drink to celebrate our ski of the Lhotse couloir, we saw a guy in the lobby and smiled at each other. As I walked up to …
2019 · Jim Morrison · 6 min
USA · Sierra Nevada
Giants Reaching for the Sky
As the winter winds down, spring gives way to new adventures in California. It is the season for bigger peaks, longer days, and exploration. There is no other place that I would rather be than the …
2019 · Michelle Parker · 5 min
USA · Kichatna Mountains (Alaska)
In the Middle of Nowhere
I first skied in the enormous Alaska Range in 2012 with Chris Davenport and John and Jim Morrison. It was a wild, eye-opening experience on several levels. Not only was it my first time skiing in …
2018 · Christian Pondella · 5 min
USA · Sierra Nevada
The Other California
Teetering on the edge of a couloir, poised in the gap of a cornice, you are hanging in the wind and waiting to drop. The snow is immaculate, and the skies are blue. Clean granite walls frame the view …
2018 · Hans Ludwig · 5 min
USA · Sierra Nevada (Mt. Williamson)
The Sierra Giant
The Sierra Nevada Mountains in California are home to some of the biggest ski descents in the continental United States. And Mount Whitney, standing the tallest at 4,421 meters, is – without a doubt …
2017 · Christian Pondella · 5 min
USA · Sierra Nevada
A State of Mind
Three explorers, united in mutual desire, meet in the high desert of the Eastern Sierra Mountains to accept the challenge of navigating through colossal terrain and in an extreme environment. This …
2016 · Max Hammer · 5 min
Kanada · Purcell Mountains
Journey into the Wild
For me, a good journey is defined by a lasting feeling of peace, belonging, and the connection to place, one another, and one's self. I believe that discovering your own core is a process requiring …
2015 · Steve House · 5 min
Norwegen (Spitzbergen) · Chydeniusfjella (Svalbard)
Watching the Wildlife
It was the end of April, and I thought my winter was done – time for gardening and mountain biking – until I got a call from my friend Chris Davenport inviting me on a trip to film for Faces of Dav …
2014 · Ingrid Backstrom · 5 min
USA (Alaska) · Denali National Park
"Free Range" in Denali National Park
As we boot closer to the top of this fluted couloir I bump my face into the snow. I break stride to wipe the snow off my glasses, which confirms how steep and deep this slope actually is. I have …
2013 · Christian Pondella · 5 min
Bolivien · Cordillera Real
A skiers journey in the Cordillera Real Mountain Range of Bolivia
As I hike, one foot in front of another – the monotonous crunching sound of crampons penetrating frozen snow – my mind, thoughts and breathing transform into a trance-like state of mind. All becomes …
2012 · Christian Pondella · 5 min
Story locations
Ranges & regions: Sierra Nevada (Mammoth Lakes) · Zillertal Alps · Sierra Nevada · Kichatna Mountains (Alaska) · Sierra Nevada (Mt. Williamson) · Purcell Mountains · Chydeniusfjella (Svalbard) · Denali National Park · Cordillera Real
