Athletes in action during the international parachuting competition Mountain Gravity in Quinto, Switzerland, 27 August 2015. Some 200 participants from all over the world are expected to jump at the event running from 22 to 30 August 2015. (Photo by Samuel Golay/EPA)

“A snapshot from mountaineer's life”. Have you ever wondered how does a mountaineer's day start? I will give you a hint: you wake up at 3 am, set the stove, wake up your partner, pretend it is warm, quickly consume a high-calorie breakfast, watch your friends slowly ascending the icy slopes of your dream summit with their tiny head torches glimmering against perfectly blue ice, and hope for the good weather. One would ask: why all this trouble? The answer is easy: for the love of the adventure and the unknown. Location: Chamonix, Haute Savoye, France. (Photo and caption by Kamil Tamiola/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

A woman holds newly designed Indonesia Rupiah banknotes after exchanging her old bills at a Bank Indonesia mobile bank in Jakarta, Indonesia December 19, 2016. (Photo by Fatima El-Kareem/Reuters)

A brown bears cools off in a pool at the bear sanctuary near the village of Mramor, on August 18, 2020. The bear sanctuary was closed for visitors on August 18, as part of safety measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) disease. (Photo by Armend Nimani/AFP Photo)

General view during First Round Group A basketball game Ivory Coast v China in the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China on August 31, 2019. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A girl lights a candle during an Easter service in the Volodymyrsky Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 4, 2024. (Photo by Alina Smutko/Reuters)

A devotee smiles as she offers prayers during the Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Kathmandu, Nepal January 12, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

One month-old endangered Bornean Orang Utan sleeps on his mother named Miri on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, in Singapore. The Singapore Zoo is renowned for its flagship animal, the Orang Utan, and exhibits both the endangered Bornean and critically endangered Sumatran sub-species in a social setting. It is also known for its efforts in promoting and educating the public about the importance of wildlife conservation through its educational programs and breeding of these endangered species. (Photo by Wong Maye-E/AP Photo)