2005 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Special Mention
Ryan Salm: “Meileshueshan”
“Translated as Meile Snow Mountain, Meileshueshan is nestled in the northwest corner of Yunnan Province in China. This 22,000-foot monster marks the border between China and Tibet. Glacier-ridden and gigantic, the mountain has never been climbed; it has claimed the lives of all 16 people who have tried to conquer its summit. I awoke at 4:30 a.m. on a frigid Tibetan morning to this unbelievable sight. The sky was dark, and I yawned as the lack of oxygen at 14,000 feet took its effect. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. The mountain glowed even in the dark. As the sun began to rise, the colours electrified this already stunning view. I made my way towards a vantage point, climbed a sacred tower draped with Tibetan prayer flags and pointed my lens through the flags to get the shot I sought. It was the true glory of this place that brought this image together.”
Ryan Salm has been based in Lake Tahoe, California, for the past five years. Along with freelance work, he currently works as a staff photographer for the Sierra Sun newspaper in Truckee, California. Salm has traversed over 20 countries on six continents. As a gifted storyteller, he tours the U.S. giving informative slide show presentations. He was a keynote presenter at the Patagonia-sponsored Backcountry Adventure Series for his work on Mongolian eagle hunters. Journeys on back roads with the local people have created a common theme in Salm’s work. Radiant colours, vivid landscapes and enticing faces are the cornerstone of his photography. His most recent imagery comes from back-to-back six-month journeys through Asia, including Thailand, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Myanmar, Borneo, Laos and southwestern China.