So, it's that time of year again. Since all the good snow was used up yesterday, let's take the opportunity to repeat the 2010 retrospective post. Here, then, are my 10 favourite shots from the past year. Enjoy!

Ramon Marin on "Pink Panther" (M9+), Kandersteg, Switzerland.

Shot in Kandersteg where I was accompanying Danish climber Kristoffer Szilas on his quest for hard mixed climb, I spent most of the week dangling on a fixed line below icicles. I was set up to shoot Kristoffer on a M10 when Ramon Marin ran up the classic M9+ "Pink Panther" on the other side. The angle wasn't perfect to shoot the lower section, but as soon as he reached the terminal icicle, I was in position to capture his facial expressions as he desperately fought the pump to finish the route.

Will Foreman in Kullen, Sweden.

Will, Rune and I hadn't come to Kullen for photography but just to have a good climbing day in the early Swedish summer. Will was working on a route adequately called King Kong, with a powerful and slightly scary crux sequence at the top and was readying himself at the bottom, while additionally having just injured his toe. The result was a big power scream, which I was lucky to capture with a very wide lens.

Nick Valentine on the Razor Edge, Chapelle de Glière, Aiguilles Rouges, France.

My first route with Nick Valentine, with whom I will be climbing in the ex-USSR, was the super fun "Chapelle de Glière" in the Aiguilles Rouges. Photography was a secondary concern until we reached the famous razor edge section. Nick had led it, but I asked him to go back half a pitch when I reached the belay, as this was too good a photo opportunity to pass!

Andrew Grosser on the East Buttress of El Capitan, Yosemite.

I have numerous shots of my partner, Fiona, on this section, and they are really good, but the one I ended up selecting was of Andy, member of a team I allowed to overtake us, since they were so much faster. To be honest, I was a bit bored, having stayed at the belay for a solid half hour, and went with my gut to snap some wide angle shots with his rope in the frame. As often the case, experimentation is ultimately rewarded with very unique images!

Stefan Jacobsen wet and cold on the Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite.

When the storm started on the Nose, it was obviously bad news - we had hoped to be on the wall for another two to three days, but with the low angle bottom section quickly turning into a waterfall and drenching us, it soon became obvious we had to go down, fast. As a photographer, however, it was a great opportunity to capture a very special mood. Additionally, the many abseils allowed me to get quite close (I had only packed a 50mm lens) to the other climbers and capture their struggle in these very adverse conditions.

Andrew Sandercock on a hanging belay of the Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite.

Shot during a brief lull in the storm, this shows Andrew in the way he must have felt, very lonely on the wall indeed. It is also a side of El Cap that is very rarely captured.

Enmore Lin on the last pitch of the Lost Arrow Spire Tip, Yosemite.

When I shot this, I had just been through one of the most trying four days of my life, somehow succeeding in completing my first big wall, and my first solo. Enmore and Stefan had come to climb the last two pitches of the route and set up a Tyrolean traverse back to the rim. As soon as I topped out on the pinnacle, I abseiled down once more, realizing I had the perfect opportunity to capture a leader in an extremely exposed situation. This kind of situation usually requires a lot of forethought and setting up, but in this case, I got it entirely "for free". I just needed to put up four days of lonely suffering first.

Cody Sims high on Freerider, El Capitan, Yosemite.

Though it may not be the most spectacular image of Cody's climb, there is something in the early morning light and his contorted body position that really works for me. In addition, the fact that he has absolutely nothing beneath his feet and that neither rope nor belayer show emphasizes the insane exposure, this high on El Cap.

Mich Kemeter freesolo highlining in Taft Point, Yosemite.

This is not any of the images of Mich that made the rounds of world newspapers last month, and it is arguably a lot less impressive than those showing just how high above the ground he is, but it's still my favourite from the shoot, mostly because of the light, his symbolic body position and the expression in his face which leaves no doubt as to the level of focus required and what's at stake.

David Garnier skiing down Glacier du Milieu, Argentière, France.

Not even a week old, this was shot last Wednesday on an aborted ski-climb of Aiguille d'Argentière. What made us bail, the sun hitting the slope, is also what makes this image works. I love how all the elements here (the granite, the snow, the rope, the mid-turn action freeze) contribute to creating an atmosphere both beautiful and threatening.