Mount Kailash - Tibet

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 24, 2011563 views19 comments

Mt Kailash is a long way from anywhere - 4 days by road from Lhasa, 4 long, dusty days, most of it over 4500m (14700 feet). But all that fades away, as you finally see the familiar shape looming on the horizon.

To get to this spot (5200m - 17000+) is a 6 hour hike. I managed to dislocate my knee, which let to a long retreat after our overnight. The altitude and lack of pain killers made for a fun night.

Honestly though, all I remember from our trip up there was the beauty of the peak under the Milky Way.

new podcast with Guy Tal posted on our website today : http://availablelightimages.com/blog/2011/06/24/guy-tal-2/

D700 24-70 single exposure.

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on June 24, 2011 at 8:34 AM

Gorgeous. You really get the sense of being there from this image.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on June 24, 2011 at 10:18 AM

Magnificent sky Alister. It must have been breathtaking to witness this in person.

BTW - I listened to your podcast with Guy Tal and found it to be a very interesting and thoughtful interview. Very well done. Look forward to more.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on June 24, 2011 at 11:51 AM

Superb night sky, almost otherwordly!

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Jack Brauer on June 24, 2011 at 12:01 PM

Awesome shot!!!

Registered on September 12, 2005, 40 Posts, 627 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on June 24, 2011 at 12:37 PM

Love the bit of warm colour in the Milky Way contrasting with the blues of the night sky. Something spiritual about this.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Battreall on June 24, 2011 at 1:10 PM

A nice tribute to a sacred mountain.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 24 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce Omori on June 24, 2011 at 2:38 PM

Beautiful shot, Alister. The Milky Way is gorgeous. Sorry to hear about your knee. Hope it heals well! Sounds like it was an extreme adventure!!

Registered on December 6, 2010, 6 Posts, 175 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 24, 2011 at 2:54 PM

Spectacular! The really captures both the beauty of Earth and the Universe we live in.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Vlad Sadovsky on June 24, 2011 at 10:23 PM

Impressive view, makes one envious to be able to get there. Sky is especially well done.

Registered on November 12, 2010, 48 Posts, 358 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Rappaport on June 24, 2011 at 11:01 PM

Beautiful image, perfectly executed.

Registered on September 9, 2009, 294 Posts, 2006 Comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on June 25, 2011 at 12:30 AM

Brilliant ! What a spectacle ! The stars have come out great.

I would love to visit that part of the world someday.

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by Muneeb Mohamed on June 25, 2011 at 1:50 AM

amazing !!!

Registered on May 20, 2011, 20 Posts, 17 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on June 25, 2011 at 8:47 AM

What an amazing view! Being there must have been awesome, and it is wonderful to see this!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on June 25, 2011 at 2:23 PM

Alister,

What a fabulous night sky and capture of the Milky Way. Hard to critique an effort like this, but I'm kinda wishing the mountain was a little sharper? Could be just a web thing and that's very minor anyway. A brilliant sky and quite understandable why this is what you remember from your trip.

Hope the knee is better. What a bummer that was.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Sarah Marino on June 26, 2011 at 1:11 PM

Hi Alister - this is an impressive view. I can't decide if I like the hint of light on the foreground rocks. I think it adds interest tot he scene but also pulls my eye from the incredible peak and stars. Either way, this is still a really cool image.

I listened to the podcast, too and it was quite interesting. Nice work there, too.

Registered on November 10, 2008, 23 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on June 26, 2011 at 7:48 PM

Wow, what a story behind this one Alister! I'm impressed you pulled off such beauty given the discomfort you must have had.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on June 27, 2011 at 4:19 AM

Fantastic exposure. Other worldly to say the least.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Stefan Gimpl on June 28, 2011 at 2:59 PM

spectacular sky and peak. Being there truly must have been something to remember.

Registered on May 12, 2007, 26 Posts, 184 Comments

Comment posted by Rafael Rojas on June 30, 2011 at 3:33 PM

Geez, the knee story makes me see the image in a different way! I love the great connection between mountains and stars here...Simple and graphic. Maybe I would tone down the foreground rocks a bit? Fnally we will leave for Provence tomorrow morning, in the case you wonder what the heck I am doing right now writing messages instead of driving down the Alpes Maritimes...:) un abrazo

Registered on March 1, 2009, 56 Posts, 623 Comments