Mountain photos of the year - check out the view!

In January 2017, Sergio Tapiro Velasco was 12 kilometers from the Colima volcano in Mexico when it erupted: "I suddenly heard a big loud bang, then I saw the hot lava flow down the mountain and the giant ash cloud that rose to the sky." He reacted quickly and snapped this shot, which won him the main prize at the International Mountain Summit photo contest.

The Mountain Action category focuses on people who are active in mountain sports. Patrick Steiner climbed high to take this winning photo of the Arlberg in Austria just before sunset.

Jona Salcher captured this mystical moment on the Seceda in the Dolomites, Italy. It won in the Mountain Nature category that highlights how mountains' "interplay with nature creates ever new perspectives and captivating sights," according to an International Mountain Summit release.

Slackliners from Vienna hang out at the Peilstein in Austria in this photo by Sebastian Wahlhuetter, the winner in the Team Spirit category. They were inspired by an old tradition: "In the Himalayas it is a tradition that flags can be hung on the summits as a sign of peace, compassion, strength and wisdom," Wahlhuetter said. He wanted to recreate such a flag in the Austrian mountains.

Maurizio Casula took this photo of Mount Klifatindur in Stockness, Iceland. It won in the Mountain Water category. Said Casula: "I took this picture on my first trip to Iceland and immediately felt an inner peace that I had never felt before."

This year was the first time that the International Mountain Summit awarded a winner in the category Mountain Mobile. Christine Trebo took this shot of the Gran Cir in the Dolomites with her smartphone.

The category Mountain Faces calls for pictures that tell stories through human expressions. Anton Yankovyi took this year's winning image of a young boy the photographer met at the foot of the Manaslu trek in Nepal.

Stefan Schlumpf took this photo of a risky balancing act that won second place in the Mountain Action category. Unlike with the first place winners, there is no additional information provided on the runner-up photos.

Mauro Gambicorti won second place in the Team Spirit category. His image shows that climbing a mountain is not a solo effort.

This other-worldly shot won Michele Cimini second place in the Mountain Nature category.

In the first-time category Mountain Mobile, second place went to Carlos Noriega for this picture.

Dario Fernando Marelli won second place in the Mountain Water category for capturing this snowy landscape.

The second place in the Mountain Faces category went to Roland Reinstadler for this up-close-and-personal photo.