The competition was tight and images included wheel chair skate park riding, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, ice climbing, base jumping, dirtbiking, and mountain biking just to name a few. Each photographer took the crowd through nine minutes of their best images. The vibe was high as the crowd absorbed the images. There were 6 giant screens that enabled everyone in the conference centre a good seat.
Mike Douglas came out in a dress to start the evening as a response to the antics of hosts of events throughout this week. He did a great job mc'ing to a crowd that demanded someone of his caliber to keep them focused.
In the end, Jordan Manley, a 24 year old wonder kid from Vancouver rose as champion and took home a cool $10,000 check for his efforts. It should not be under stated how incredible it is that a 24 year old kid, who has been shooting professionally for only 3 years won this event. Most of the Whistlerites in the crowd wanted Jordan to win, but that doesn't mean he didn't earn it. His photos were undoubtedly the most dynamic. His eye for landscape is second to none, and when he ads action to his composition, it's pretty incredible. Check out his website below to see much of the work that was in the show. There's no doubt: he's the new Blake Jorgensen.
The organizers, once again, put on an amazing show and it was by far for me (peakz), the best industry event I've been to this year.
Check out their websites to see some of their work!
Jordan Manley www.jordanmanley.com
Scott Pommier www.scottpommier.com
Ian Ruhter www.ianruhter.com
Christian Pondella www.christianpondella.com
Daniel Blom www.danielblom.com
Special thanks to the Tantalus Lodge for our great accommodations
