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Huangshan National Park, China, mountains

Huangshan National Park, in eastern China’s Anhui Province, is famous for its dramatic granite spires, many of which rise more than 1,000m, their pointed peaks piercing the sea of rolling cloud cover that often blankets the region. Tucked between the vertical rock surfaces are waterfalls, caves and hot springs. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, China, mountain, winter

During summer, the mountain trails here are packed with visitors. But if you come in the dead of winter, when temperatures regularly plummet below freezing, not only will you have the place to yourself, you might catch the park in what is perhaps its most striking form. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, China, winter

In the colder months, water droplets in the fog crystallise and freeze on the park’s trees and exposed mountain faces. Known as hard rime ice, the spectacular phenomenon usually occurs when temperatures drop between -2C and -10C. When conditions are right, the mountains are encased in a glittering white crust. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, China, winter, fog

Huangshan, which was designated a [Unesco World Heritage site](http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/547) in 1990, sees a lot of moisture. In summer, there is more than 300mm of rainfall per month. In winter, the dense fog that lingers after a storm can last for days, creating the conditions that lead to rime ice formation. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, China, pine tree, winter

Rime is quite dense and can grow over a long period of time, attaching itself to the trees and peaks. The fog moves with the frigid wind, resulting in spiky white needles and ice-laden trees that are sheathed in white on one side, yet barren on the other. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, pine tree, winter

While rime ice is not unique to this mountain range, the gnarled and protruding pine trees growing on the range’s ridges are. The Huangshan pine grows on the steep, craggy slopes and is endemic to the mountains of East China. The contorted trees accentuate the already dramatic landscape, which has inspired Chinese painters and poets for hundreds of years, and was [purportedly the inspiration](https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/01/25/avatar-inspires-new-name-for-a-chinese-mountain/) for the Hallelujah Mountains in the award-winning Hollywood film Avatar. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)

Huangshan National Park, China, winter, mountains

In his poem entitled Dawn Vista on Huangshan, 8th-Century poet Li Bai wrote: “Morning sun strikes the tree tops, here in this sky mountain world. Chinese people, raise your faces!” The scenery Li described is still as captivating today as it was hundreds of years ago – particularly when it is coated with ice. (Credit: Dave Stamboulis)