January 8, 2008

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

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.

Information about the Deep Winter Photo Challenge can be found at www.deepwinterphoto.com.  For more information on the GORE-TEX Deep Winter Experience line-up of events please visit www.whistlerblackcomb.com/deepwinter.

One hundred and forty million years ago a creature struggled to escape the hostile horizontal world. It became lean and strong and developed into a magnificent climber. Then driven by success and the gears of evolution, it developed the feather ... and down climbing became a thing of the past. At ARC'TERYX®, our central purpose is to build the best product possible. We don't focus on incremental advancements, but on radically improving the status quo. Our designers strive not to outshine the competition, but to challenge assumptions about how outdoor products should be built. We have created groundbreaking construction technology, developed paradigm-shifting designs, and introduced major fabric technology. The resulting deluge of recognition, and mimicry, has cemented our reputation at the pinnacle of the outdoor world. Driven by evolution in action, we work passionately to advance performance in the outdoors. WWW.ARCTERYX.COM

Consistently ranked as North America's top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb continues to raise the level of mountain excitement for its guests. With the landmark Peak to Peak Gondola project underway, the return of the popular Symphony Amphitheatre, and a host of other on-mountain improvements, this winter promises to be one of the most exciting yet. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the spectacular 'Sea to Sky' Highway, this resort is home to the continent's two greatest vertical-rise ski mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb. With over 17 alpine bowls, four glaciers, 200 trails, 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and a one mile vertical rise, the choices of where and what to ski/ride at Whistler Blackcomb from beginner to advanced terrain are staggering. Joined at the base by a vibrant pedestrian village filled with restaurants, patios, cafes, shops, galleries and spas, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, this four season resort is spectacular. Check it all out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

ABOUT INTRAWEST

Intrawest is a world leader in experiential destination resorts.  The company has interests in eleven resorts at North America's most popular mountain destinations including Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Intrawest network also includes Canadian Mountain Holidays, the largest heli-skiing operation in the world, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida and Club Intrawest—a private resort club with nine locations throughout North America.  In addition, Intrawest develops real estate at its resorts and at other locations across North America and in Europe.  Intrawest is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.intrawest.com

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Proud to be a venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games