About the cover image, from the photographer Matt Parsons:

This image represents just 1/1000 of a second on an eleven hour journey that lead Loren Rausch and I to the top of the Chamonix Couloir in the Beartooth Mountains. What followed was one of the most amazing, and most intimidating, ski descents of my life. What I think this photo succeeds in conveying is the remoteness and enormity of the space that Loren and I occupied. What it doesn’t show is the pain and the exhaustion that pushed both of us to the brink of physical and mental surrender that day. Over 4,000 vertical feet of knee-deep post holing up a sustained forty degree slope will do that to just about anybody.

That is what I love about photography – there is almost always a story behind the pictures we take. Good photos have the ability to stand on their own, without any explanation. But they rarely ever reveal the whole story. Though photography ultimately results in a flat image, I like to think of it as a layered art form. To truly appreciate any photo you must peel away the layers, examine them and consider the virtue of each.
There is a raw truth that the lens of a camera can capture – a sort of commentary on humanity that, in an instant, shows not only our power, but our failures and our vulnerabilities. I think this is particularly true when we find ourselves being photographed in nature. The human form contrasted against the snow, the rocks, motion, texture and light gives us something to compare ourselves to, something to measure ourselves against. On a journey like the one Loren and I took that day, we came face to face with our weaknesses. Pain was our truth – raw beauty and virgin lines our reward. My hope is that as you peel away the layers of this photo, you begin to see some of these elements emerge.

Sometimes you have to travel far in order to get the angle you want. Sometimes you have to wait for the right light. Sometimes you just get lucky. And sometimes all three come together perfectly and you create something memorable. A moment is captured and every time you look at it, it takes you back to that place, where you can feel the air and your heart in your throat, as gravity drags you down the slope and over the horizon, legs burning, danger everywhere.

Photography has always been an excuse for me to get outdoors and explore, to capture images that I find beautiful or intriguing. Ansel Adams once said ‘Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.’ Chamonix was ready that day. I just feel fortunate enough to have been there for it. I consider myself lucky to have traveled to some pretty amazing places and smart enough to have brought my camera along.

Matt’s hobbies include writing, exploring nature and fatherhood. He doesn’t have a website or blog, but you can view more of his photos and writing at www.NorthernLightsTrading.com, where he spends much of his time trying to sell gear and get others into the outdoors.