Deep Winter Photo Challenge

2011 Contest Wrap-Up

Blake Jorgenson Named 'King Of Storms' At Deep Winter Photo Challenge

Robin O'Neill takes 2nd, Andrew Strain 3rd and Ilja Herb wins Best in Show

WHISTLER, BC, January 17, 2011

Iconic Whistler photographer Blake Jorgenson took home the King of Storms title at the fifth annual Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by ARC'TERYX and Whistler Blackcomb. Second place went to the event's first-ever female competitor, Robin O'Neill, and third went to up-and-coming photographer Andrew Strain. Ten-year photography veteran, Ilja Herb's epic ski photo was voted Best in Show by the panel of judges.

"I don't think winning is as exciting as executing an idea and bringing it to life in front of the audience. For me that's the thrill." says Jorgenson. "As a photographer, I never choose the photos that get printed. It's always somebody else's choice. To come up with a concept and bring it to life exactly the way I want, in front of a home crowd, is the best thing ever."

Jorgenson took home the $3,000 grand prize and will have his name added to the King of Storms trophy, a new addition to the event that was designed by Keith Berens at Live Metal Promo. All previous Deep Winter winners will be added to the trophy to commemorate their achievements.

The six photographers had three days to shoot in bounds at Whistler Blackcomb with their athlete teams. In addition to the photographers named above and powerhouse of athletes, Snowboard Canada Photo Editor John Scarth and accomplished snowboard photographer, Tim Zimmerman joined the quest for 'King/Queen of Storms' title and a total prize purse of $6,000.

As always, the competition fostered a friendly rivalry, which spurred photographer and athlete teams to designate themselves with off-beat team names such as: Team Storm Wizard, Team Steam Train, and Team Scarth.

Social Media played an ever-growing role in the competition with many of the Deep Winter athletes and photographers tweeting live throughout the competition. To find unique behind-the-scenes video and photos, and other interesting commentary, search #deepwinter on Twitter.

The final slideshows were played in front of a sold-out audience of 1200 spectators at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. The judging panel included: three-time Deep Winter and one-time SAINT Deep Summer Photo Challenge winner Jordan Manley; Ski Journal editor, Mike Berard; SKIER Magazine editor, Leslie Anthony; veteran photographer, Eric Berger; freelance photographer, Bonny Mackarewicz; and honorary judge and first ever King of Storms, Paul Morrison.

Jorgenson's slideshow featured dramatic and moody photography with big mountain athletes Kye Peterson and Dan Treadway, while O'Neill brought a woman's touch to the competition; highlighting powerful female locals, including Whistler Blackcomb ski patroller, Darlene Douglas, who was featured throwing an avalanche bomb in one slide and kissing her child good night in the next. Strain's approach was more grassroots; using light, color and comical portraits, such as an athlete wearing a beard of lichen.

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by ARC'TERYX was the signature event of GORE-TEX Deep Winter Experience, running January 8 - 16, featuring Roxy Snow Camps, Extremely Canadian ski clinics and discounts on GORE-TEX outerwear.

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge is presented by Arc'teryx, GORE-TEX®, and Whistler Blackcomb. Additional sponsors included Kokanee, Skyy Vodka, the Whistler Question, Atomic, Nature Valley and Mountain FM.

2010 Contest Wrap-Up

Jordan Manley Crowned 'King Of Storms' For Third Year In A Row At The 4th Annual Deep Winter Photo Challenge

Photographers Paul Morrison and Nicolas Teichrob win 2nd and 3rd place

WHISTLER, BC, January 7, 2010

Jordan Manley teamed up with pro skier Chad Sayers and snowboarder Dave Short to win his third consecutive Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by Arc'teryx. In this unique competition, photographers and their models are given three days to explore in-bounds nooks and crannies on Whistler-Blackcomb for photo fodder, then assemble their best images and present them to the judges and audience, complete with music and images.

Manley took home $3000 for the victory. Second place ($2000) went to Whistler veteran Paul Morrison, who teamed up with his son Ian and pro skiers James Heim and Dana Flahr. Morrison took the prize for best photo of the competition.

Coming in third ($1000) was newcomer Nicolas Teichrob from the Sunshine Coast. Snowboard photographer Colin Adair, and Brian Hochenstein rounded out the list of presenters.

"It was a very close competition," says Tom Duguid, Brand Manager for Arc'teryx and one of the judges in the competition. "Judges were literally split down the middle on who to give the big prize to."

Congratulations to all of the shooters who presented at this most excellent event, viewed by over 1000 image-hungry fans at the Chateau Whistler. Arc'teryx handed out gift vouchers for jackets and pants to participants who could stand on their hands the longest, eat five donuts from a plate, and sing Celine Dion songs (the winner was pretty good!). Props to the judges for their hard work in perusing the entries.

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge is presented by Arc'teryx, GORE-TEX®, and Whistler Blackcomb. Additional sponsors included Skyy Vodka, and the Whistler Question.

For media enquires and images, contact Tom Duguid, Brand Manager, Arc'teryx at bird@arcteryx.com

2009 Contest Wrap-Up

Jordan Manley Crowned 'King Of Storms' For Second Year In A Row At The 3th Annual Deep Winter Photo Challenge

Snowboard Photographers Crispin Cannon and Brian Hockenstein win 2nd and 3rd place

WHISTLER, BC, January 12, 2009

Pro photographer Jordan Manley has proven his talents once again, winning the Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by Arc'teryx for a second year in a row and receiving accolades for the Arc'teryx Image of the Show. His photos ranged from close-ups of patrol dynamite to skiers bursting through powder filled trees to macro shots as intricate as a skier reflected in an icicle.

"Chad Sayers, Dave Short and I had a great three days putting our ideas together. Fortunately we had new snow prior-to and during the event," says Manley, who won the $3,000 first prize. "Of course the weather is always a challenge at this time of year, but that is the point after all. It pushed us to be as creative as possible and keep our heads down, plugging away, trying to pull together a compelling show. I tried to tell the story about not just skiing in Whistler at this time of year, but also about the work that Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol has been doing to keep the resort safe during a season when Mother Nature has showed us who's boss, not just in Whistler but throughout North America."

This year's pro photographer roster included snowboard photographers Crispin Cannon and Brian Hockenstein and ski photographers Andrew Bradley and Dan Carr. They wowed the crowd with fantastic slideshows that truly captured the essence of winter at Whistler Blackcomb. Cannon and Hockenstein placed second and third respectively winning $3,000 in prize money between the two of them. Their "a day in the life" themed slideshows were both entertaining and comical.

"The Deep Winter Photo Challenge was the perfect early warm-up for the season. It was the most nerve-wracking, exhausting and fun project I've done," says Cannon, whose slideshow featured stop-motion photography; a very time-consuming method that plays out almost like a movie. "There is so much pressure knowing no matter what, everyone is going to see your successes and failures. My crew and I took three 18-hour days to make it happen and we are all proud of what we accomplished. Congratulations to Jordan, the show was inspiring."

The judging line-up included iconic photographers Dano Pendygrasse, Paul Morrison and Eric Berger, as well as Tom Duguid of Arc'teryx and Mike Berard, who is photo editor of SBC Skier Magazine and works at Origin Design.

"The third annual Deep Winter Photo Challenge was another big success. Great photography and excellent slideshows entertained the sellout crowd," said Morrison, who won the first ever 'King of Storms' title. "Jordan Manley proved to be a worthy winner once more. All the competitors worked extremely hard in tough conditions and deserve the thanks of everyone in attendance for five great presentations."

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by Arc'teryx kicked off the GORE-TEX Deep Winter Experience, which continues until January 18 and features avalanche awareness tours, Extremely Canadian clinics and 25 per cent discounts off all GORE-TEX outerwear jackets. Guests who want to come to Whistler and celebrate the rest of the week can pay for two nights and receive their third night free, starting from $179 per room per night. Guests can book by calling 1.888.403.4727 or by visiting: whistlerblackcomb.com/3nightfree/

2008 Contest Wrap-Up

Deep Winter Photo Challenge Crowns Jordan Manley Whistler Blackcomb's 'King Of Storms'

WHISTLER, BC, January 8, 2008

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge, presented by ARC'TERYX stormed through Whistler Saturday, January 5, with a sold-out show, leaving in its wake a new 'King of Storms'. Jordan Manley's winning slideshow featured jaw-dropping images and unique perspectives of the deep winter theme.

The Photo Challenge presented slideshows from six of skiing and snowboarding's top photographers taken over three days at Whistler Blackcomb. Over the shoot days, January 2 to 4, 106 centimetres/42 inches of snow fell, creating a truly deep, winter landscape for each competitor to work with.

"Deep Winter was a lot of fun and a big challenge. The sun never came out and it snowed heavily almost the entire time. Cold wet gloves, and soaked camera gear was a factor that made it a struggle to keep shooting and be as creative as possible, especially towards the end of each day when we were running on empty stomachs," says Manley, who worked with athletes Jonny Law and Les Manley. "Our success came from collective collaboration. I was really honored to be amongst such great talent and vision of the photographers involved, especially Paul Morrison, who has been a big inspiration to me."

At 23 years-old, Manley is a relative newcomer to the world of ski photography but he has already made a significant impact on the landscape of ski photography with SKIER Magazine's first self-portrait cover ever and a very distinctive cover for Powder Magazine this season alone. It was a unanimous decision to name Manley "king of Storms" but event judges were blown away by the calibre of each photographer's submission.

"Deep Winter is one of the most difficult assignments a photographer could take on. They dealt with three days of non-stop shooting in the most extreme weather the West Coast can throw at them," says Colin Adair, Deep Winter Photo Challenge judge and photo editor of Snowboard Canada Magazine. "The level of photography this year was really high with each participant putting together a great selection of images. Jordan's show had very strong imagery and it had a certain uniqueness in the images and overall feel, and that's what put him on top."

Paul Morrison, last season's winner, took home second with a collection of gorgeous images overlaid with poignant voiceover from Gordon Leidal, a 69 year-old ex-patrol member and Devon Douglas, Mike's four year-old son on what deep winter and skiing in Whistler means to them.

Third place was awarded to another new-comer, Bryan Ralph of Nelson, BC. Ralph was a last minute entry after another photographer cancelled their participation. His show featured engaging time-lapse sequences and was a huge hit with the judges and close to 700 spectators.

The other contenders included Dano Pendygrasse, Ian Coble and Phil Tifo.

"Last year I was thoroughly impressed with the high level of creative talent shown. This year, the bar was elevated even higher," says Tom Duguid, director of brand marketing for ARC'TERYX. "All six of the presentations this year were incredibly entertaining. The calibre of talent made it difficult to choose decisive first, second and third positions, as evidenced by how long it took the judges to come to a consensus on the winners. Coming away from the evening, I was left astounded that these guys could assemble an amazing collection of world-class images, choreographed to music no less, and show them to a packed house—all in only three days. Stuff like that leaves me humbled."

"I agree with Tom, and think each submission this season could have won it last year," says Michelle Leroux, Whistler Blackcomb's Public Relations & Communications Manager. "The calibre of the photography and the attention to the theme 'deep winter' was outstanding thanks in part, I am sure, to the inspiration each participant got from watching Paul's winning show from last year. We are so excited and inspired by this event and can't wait to bring it back to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler next year."

Judges for the event include well-known professional Whistler snowsports photographer Eric Berger, Snowboard Canada's photo editor and snowboard photographer Colin Adair, Skiing Magazine's Photo Editor Sandra Gnandt, and ARC'TERYX's Director of Brand Marketing Tom Duguid. The Deep Winter Photo Challenge is a GORE-TEX Deep Winter Experience presented in partnership by ARC'TERYX and Whistler Blackcomb, along with sponsors Fairmont Chateau Whistler, and SKYY Vodka.

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