Snow Skiers and Snowboarders

An incredibly tough contest, for me and you, I have had to judge four times as the entries just got better and better, so being harsh I have chosen to give 100 x merit 35 x commended, 20 x highly commended and a top 10, only 165 awards up for grabs! in over 280 images. The top ten photos scored points for air time, style, culture, understanding of the sport and of course good photography; focus, colour definition, spray and background. Many of the highly commended photos were in the top ten, only to be knocked down by new entries. I have loved seeing all your ski and snowboard images and thank you for putting in the effort. Being a snowboarder, it hurts to see so many ski images in the top 65, but i have been blown away by the quality of skiing, Moving on to the winning image, this image has been number one since contest opening day and In my opinion would make a great two page magazine spread. The subject is flying through the air at incredible height with effortless style Infront of the lift station, the background and cloud cover are magnificent attributes to this well rounded and professional class image.. First place

In second, sorry fourth, place a great capture featuring the ramp (I'm guessing quarter or half pipe) and the snowboarder, this picture shows a good understanding of snowboard culture and style, the trick is executed perfectly and the photographer captures it at just the right time. A strong contender for the top spot, just pipped to the post.

A vibrant image featuring the popular Fischer brand on full show in this inverted trick. Great focus on a fast moving skier, colour pops and the luminous yellow is spot on. image fills the frame just right, an easy 5th place.

A late entry, but his smile says it all and positioning of the ski pole touching the race gate shows incredibly good timing by the photographer, the snow spray is fantastic, and as a snowboarder i hate to say it, but this knocks my number two snowboarder off his number two spot. Congratulations.

I have a soft spot for downhill ski racing and ski cross since helping set up the course in Blue mountain Resort, Ontario, Canada, in 2017. This photo has great focus and fills the frame despite capturing this skier at very high speed. the red outfit is set off by the red netting in the background. a job well done. Ninth place.

Symmetrically posed between two trees covered in snow, this pink poled backflip takes sixth place, the snow spray around the skiers skis sealing the position. we are uncertain how big the take off actually is which prevents it from climbing even higher up the leaderboard but the trick is executed with equally perfect symmetry to the photo., skis slotted perfectly on top of one another towards the tail of this backflip.

A late entry, pushing down some great entries to round off my top ten, this fall is captured beautifully in focus with snow flying everywhere and an immaculate backdrop complete with ski lift onlookers. "This isn't flying, this is falling.. with style." Thanks for coming by the snow skiers and snowboarders photo crowd contest. check out the highly commended who were just short of the top ten.

This late entry takes seventh place, it was a choice between this and the other ski jumper photo by Phil C, but I felt the cooler background colour made for more difficult jump execution and the positioning of the hands and upper body make this jump look more composed than the other. Both excellent entries, the other receives highly recommended.

A late entry, aggressive turns, incredible amounts of snow spray, again great timing on the ski pole and the race gate, would have liked a better angle to define that as in the photographers second place image, but this may be detrimental to the spray capture. face shows concentration but I prefer the smile of second place. still an easy eighth place.

Another late entry, it was hard to choose between my two favorite snowboarder images, but this one just has a raw edginess to it, with addition of snow spray and moody background. I would have liked the grab to be more defined, but i know how hard grabbing the nose can be. Third place.