Alpine Ski Races

I’ve been mysteriously absent from the blog this week. Apologies. Soon, however, I can announce the reason why (and it’s exciting!).

In the meantime, today I was up photographing high school slalom races up at White Pine Ski Resort. It was a mercifully warm day – temps in the 20s – and although it was windy, the sun was simply glorious. Shooting uphill into cresting midday sunlight was tough, but with a bit of creativity I was able to get the shots I needed.

One note for shooting in snowy conditions – don’t be afraid to go up an exposure point or even two. I shot these one full point above normal, even shooting into sun, and the extra exposure was critical to draw out detail.

Also, don’t be afraid to get dirty. Around noon, I was in place to shoot a great crash series – one that covered me and the camera in blowing powder. It’s inspiring to watch these kids bounce right back up and head off downhill.

Snow pack is alarmingly light here. I rode the lift up and hiked down the mountain, post-holing much of the way. The snow only reached up to my hips, much less in the windblown areas. Here’s hoping to a wet spring so we have water to fish in the summer!