Instagram Contest Results Out!

It has been three weeks since we hit 10,000 followers on Instagram. To celebrate the same, we hosted the Trek Photographer of the Year 2015-16 challenge. Instagram was flooded with splendid pictures of the Himalayas, hills from the Western Ghats, and in some cases, Greenland as well!

We had four themes, IHSnowScape, IHWildlife, IHTrekkersInAction and IHTentLife. The fourth theme with the tents, without a doubt, had the best entries! If only we could all live in tents forever!

However, with no further ado, let’s announce the winner of the Instagram contest who wins a grand Trek Voucher of Rs.10,000! He had four entries that bowled us over, and at times had us going “aww!”

Sushil Govardhan, take a bow. You are the Trek Photographer of the Year 2015-16! 

Here are Sushil’s four entries:

1. IH Snowscape – The compostition of this shot is great! The trekker in the distance, Mt. Nanda Ghunti in the background, the clarity of the mountain, they make for a beautiful landscape shot!

@indiahikes #ihsnowscape Walking on the white carpet of snow with a constant view of Himalayan peaks, Nanda Ghunti and Trishul (Trishul is not covered in pic but it’s just beside Nandaghunti) on Brahmatal winter trek

A photo posted by Sushil Gowardhan (@sushilgowardhan) on Aug 30, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

2. IH Trekkers in Action – The Stok Kangri Summit climb. Anyone who has trekked in such weather knows just how difficult it is to get one’s camera out of the bag and capture a shot. It shows you what a summit climb is really all about! What a splendid action shot!

@indiahikes #ihtrekkersinaction Step by step, slow and steadily approaching the Stok Summit, few more steps, final push and there you are at Summit. #stokkangri #trekkingpeak #ladakh

A photo posted by Sushil Gowardhan (@sushilgowardhan) on Aug 30, 2016 at 7:04am PDT

3. IH Tent Life – As Sushil has rightly said, a billion star hotel can any day beat a 5 star hotel! Trying his hand at astro photography, Sushil has done a brilliant job with this one!

@indiahikes #ihtentlife Our billion star tent at the base camp of Mt Kanamo. Very peaceful and soulful under starry sky, much better than a 5star hotel room. #milkyway #spiti #ihtentlife #milkywaygalaxy

A photo posted by Sushil Gowardhan (@sushilgowardhan) on Aug 30, 2016 at 6:49am PDT

4. IH Wildlife: A Himalayan marmot – an animal our trekkers have often caught sight of on their trails! What better to signify wildlife from the Himalayas!

@indiahikes #ihwildlife A Himalayan marmot, normally friendly with humans. We found this guy enroute Pangong Tso. He was especially shy, may be because of very less human presence in the area. This was while we were trekking from Gangpoche to Mankorma camp site during Stok Kangri trek. #wildlife #Marmot #ladakh

A photo posted by Sushil Gowardhan (@sushilgowardhan) on Aug 30, 2016 at 6:43am PDT

Congratulations Sushil! After Brahmatal, Kanamo and Stok Kangri, we hope you go on many more expeditions!

While Sushil met all the criteria we had for the contest, there are several other entries that we loved. Here are our favourites from the four themes!

IH Trekkers in Action:

The colours, the setting, the trekkers, the flat floor. It doesn’t get better than this! We love the compostition and the feel of this shot!

This pic is particularly close to my heart. It depicts the grit and determination of a trekker as he negotiates his way through the snow. This was taken during the Chadar trek in 2014 #IHTrekkersInAction #indiahikes #himalayas #trekking #chadartrek

A photo posted by Sobhan Mohanty (@itchy_rump) on Aug 10, 2016 at 10:44pm PDT

IH Tent Life:

We haven’t seen a better wide angle shot of the Deoriatal campsite, especially with such clear views of Chaukhamba. We believe this picture shows how a real trekker actually lives in the mountains.

Throwback.. October 2015. My first Himalayan Trek, Deoriatal Base Camp. Mt. Chaukamba clearly visible on the extreme right hand side. #Himalayas #Trekking #camping #Tents #ihtentlife #lake #Mountains #INDIAHIKES 

A photo posted by Karthik Yadake (@karthik_yadake) on Aug 25, 2016 at 7:56pm PDT

IH Wildlife:

Doesn’t this goat just say “I’m fabulous!” What a lively shot! There are several ways you can make goats look adorable in pictures. But this is the best we’ve seen so far. Also, it can beat any shampoo ad!

#IHWildlife …… We encountered with this smiling goat at sandakphu…have you ever seen any smiling goat? … Who said that only human can smile…. Animal also have emotions…

A photo posted by Subhashis Pal (@psubhashis) on Aug 31, 2016 at 2:42am PDT

IH Snowscape:

This photo exudes simplicity and elegance. The pines, the snow, Kedarkantha captured at its best!

Winter… Kedarkantha slopes The Kedarkantha slopes in winter are a sight to be seen. The soft snow all over renders a dreamy look to the landscape. If one is lucky you can have snow right from the first campsite at Juda Ka Talab another sight that fights for attention with this one! #IHSnowScape #IndiaHikes 

A photo posted by milind (@milindtambe) on Aug 9, 2016 at 5:06am PDT