Christian Pondella is an adventure sports photographer based in Mammoth Lakes, CA, on the spectacular East Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He enjoys traveling to exotic locations throughout the world, experiencing different cultures, and photographing in remote mountain ranges. One of the elements that makes his work truly distinctive in a competitive field is his ability to get up close, personal, and often way, way out there with his subjects. An accomplished ice climber, rock climber, ski mountaineer and extreme athlete in his own right, it is these activities that have inspired his photography. Being an avid participant in the sports he photographs gives him a unique and intimate perspective at the cutting edge of human endeavor.