Death-defying snowboarders make history by becoming first to conquer vertical Alaskan slope

This is the heart-in-mouth moment three daredevil snowboarders dice with death - and become the first people in the world to conquer a vertical slope.

The adrenaline junkies - John Jackson, Travis Rice and Mark Landvik - hurtled down the peak in the 3,000ft Tordrillo Mountains, in Alaska, in a matter of seconds.

Risking the prospect of sparking deadly avalanches through their rapid 80mph movements, the brave trio zig-zagged their way down the 50 degree angle.

And for their piece-de-resistance the trio decided to pull off some big-air tricks for the camera as they plummeted towards the bottom.

The epic descent booked the speedsters a place in the record books by becoming the first people to successfully conquer the perilous peak.

Photographer Scott Serfas, who was watching from the safety of a helicopter, said: 'It was amazing to watch. I knew I was witnessing snowboard history in the making.

'These guys are all top pros and some of the most well respected in the business, if anyone could do it it was them.'

The three professional snowboarders - who each have 20 years experience - were dropped off at the summit by helicopter.

They faced the daunting prospect of ten foot snow drifts and temperatures plummeting to a chilly minus 13C.

Mr Serfas, 39, a professional photographer from Vancouver, Canada, added: 'Descents like this are always dangerous, but you try to minimize that by playing smart.

'But at the end of the day, no matter what safety gear you have on, nothing is going to save you if something goes wrong.'

The Tordrillo Mountains are a range found 75 miles west-north-west of Anchorage, and stretch 60 miles to the north. It is primarily a volcanic range, with its most recent eruption occuring in June 1992.

Bright and beautiful creatures made from a single sheet of paper

These bright and beautiful creatures seem to reveal the full complexity of life - and yet each is made from a piece of paper.

The intricate origami models were folded into shape by Brian Chan, a 31-year-old craft instructor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr Chan began making his breathtaking sculptures when he was just ten years old and taught himself the Japanese art-form using books as a guide.

He has now fashioned more than 100 unique artworks, from people to jungle cats. Most are made from one piece of paper, with extra sheets occasionally used for contrasting parts of the figure, such as a shell or clothing.

Mr Chan believes that origami allows artists to express themselves using techniques that are completely their own.