With awe and admiration, I lose myself in vintage black-and-white photographs of the pioneer skiers of the past. You know: the ones who took their obsession with snow one step further and dared to slide down natural and isolated mountain slopes before the days of gondolas and chairlifts. These folks were the drivers of the sport, and thanks to them, winter skiing has become a thriving industry that grows yearly.
The roots of skiing began in Scandinavia around the 19th century. The word ‘ski’ comes from the Norwegian word ‘skio.’ One can’t help but chuckle at the unsophistication of the attire and primitive skis: no helmets, no sport-specific clothing, no goggles, and no fuss! These skiers are the folks who did it for the pure joy of the sport.
Alpine skiing is a magical sport. It provides a pure, child-like adrenaline rush. This simple joy is hard to find nowadays, especially with social media’s ‘see and be seen’ pressures. That’s partly what I wanted to portray in this image. I love the contrasting dark sky versus light foreground that conveys a sense of action, especially with the diagonal cut of the skier across the image. Skiing reminds me of a pre-internet world, for those of you old enough to have lived that!
The epicentre of backcountry skiing in BC, Revelstoke is a place held in high regard. The skiing is magical, thanks to the enormous dumps of powder they get yearly (around 12m a year on average). The Revelstoke ski resort boasts North America’s longest vertical drop of groomed runs.