April 18 2025
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Every once in a while everything comes together for a perfect photo. I'm a marketing photographer at Alta Ski Area and saw the potential for this location last winter but didn't think I'd ever get the right conditions. During ski season this slope is almost always covered with big moguls. Last week, Alta's Supreme lift, which accesses this area hadn't yet opened for the season. On Friday, the day they were hoping to open it, there was a huge storm so they kept it closed for avalanche safety. I double-checked the forecast and confirmed Saturday was supposed to be sunny; then I called my boss, Alta's marketing director, to set up the photo. I tried not to get my hopes up becuse there were so many variables out of my control - timing, avalanche control, other skiers, etc. My boss was less than encouraging. But I was a pest. If you don't ask, you get nothing. I stayed hopeful, schemed and made sure I'd be ready if everything lined up. In the morning I harassed my boss some more, he checked in with ski patrol and we found out Supreme would be opening on time. We got dressed, headed out and started working our way over to Supreme. We got on the lift about 15 minutes before the resort opened to the public. As we came over a rise near the top of the lift I saw the slope was untouched and started freaking out. Everything was perfect! We got off the lift, I skied down the rope line and started setting up the photo. My boss grabbed some employees who were on their way to their mid-mountain restaurant jobs and they skied the line for me. It was nearly perfect and about one minute after I made this photo, the slope had skiers all over it and was completely tracked up. That's my boss in the red jacket. He's happy I was a pain in the ass about making this happen. In my experience, a plan is usually just a way to get things started. However, sometimes all the pieces fall into place and you get to fulfill a vision. Now, I have to figure out a way to make an even better ski photo at this location :-)
Note: there was a ski patrol track on the right edge of the photo that I cloned out. I almost never remove things from photos but this one was so close to perfect I decide to take the liberty of cleaning it up a little bit.
We're skiing now! I didn't work opening day but I did work opening weekend. This is first chair on Alta's Supreme Lift, with a very snowy Mt. Superior in the background. The guys on the lift are the usual Collins Lift first chair crew, including "First Chair Brian" on the left. Here's an article about him at Ski Mag's website - the main photo in that article is also mine: www.skimag.com/athletes/interviews/alta-utah-first-chair-...
