International Mountain Day is marked each year on December 11. This is one of those globally recognised events that often have an annual theme, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), this year it is “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation and youth”.

This website focuses on ‘all things mountains’ and often covers campaign issues and threats to various parts of the mountains – from fire, climate change, development, logging, feral species, over use, and so on. The news can be grim and depressing.

And as we get close to the end of another traumatic year, as war and drag on in Ukraine, Gaza, the Sudan, Syria and other places, we cross another climate threshold, ecological collapse continues, and global climate negotiations have failed to deliver an agreement based on science, the world can feel like a brutal place.

Yet the world can still be a beautiful place. We are incredibly lucky to have such wonderful mountain country in our backyard. I hope that on International Mountain Day you manage to get out into some good wild country.

Here’s a few of my local favourites.

HEADER IMAGE: Mt Geryon, lutruwita/ TAS

ABOVE: Mt Jaithmathang

ABOVE: Jagungal, northern Snowies

ABOVE: Mt Wills, VIC