Photography and Snowboarding, Beaver Creek, CO
Photography and snowboarding are two of my great passions. They go hand-in-hand for me these days. Last year I was in Crested Butte, Colorado shooting and shredding. This year I was in Avon, Colorado near Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek. I started combining photography and snowboarding on Mammoth Mountain, located about 5 hours from my home. When a client and friend invited me to stay in Avon Colorado, to capture some new winter images for him, I jumped at the chance.
Shooting on the mountain plays a big role in how I choose my runs. Certain parts of the mountain have views or features that capture my eye. I may linger once I hop off the lift and look around a bit. While riding, I stop and shoot, if the landscape calls out to me. So, I shoot and shred alone. Depending on the light and the gear I have with me, I may stop a lot. I give up many turns in exchange for coming home with beautiful photographs. When the light is really good, I return to my car, grab my Sony A7Riv and head right back up the mountain just to shoot. This trip’s shoots were tough, because it was snowing off and on most of the time. That makes for cold fingers and a potentially wet camera.
Photography and Snowboarding
Beaver Creek Mountain is a hidden gem with far more terrain than you might imagine. Avon locals love it and don’t feel the need to go to Vail. It is bigger and better than many well-known mountains around the US. It also happens to be overlooked by most visitors, because Vail mountain has the legendary back bowls and the big brand name. Beaver Creek is less crowded which makes it a find for me. I will always love Vail Mountain of course – gotta love those legendary Back Bowls. However, short lift lines and empty runs are something I love more. CLICK HERE if you would like to read about my experience on Vail Mountain.
Beaver Creek Mountain
I arrived with no expectations of what images I would capture or how the snow would be. Centennial Express was the first lift I took up from Beaver Creek village. I chose this because of its close proximity to the Ford hall parking garage, right under the village. Most people park for free and take a shuttle. I paid to park, because it gave me quick access to my camera. When the light changes, you have to be quick. Plus, this allowed me more time on the mountain.
Beaver Creek Runs
From the Centennial Express lift, I jumped on Cinch Express to get higher on the mountain. I rode that lift a few times before heading over to Bose Bowl. I found some great wide open runs and amazing views from that lift. In order to keep a balance between shooting and shredding, I use my iPhone a lot. That way I do not become totally obsessed with shooting, and I can also ride hard. I need the whole process to remain fun, so I don’t always want my pro gear in hand. The light was good, so I needed my gear as soon as possible.
I checked out Red Buffalo before heading back towards Centennial Express. I ended up encountering some challenging double black diamond mogul runs that wore me out a bit. That was not in the plan. However, the run that took me there was fantastic. So, it was all good. Plus, the runs I hit below the double blacks where also awesome. They were steep, wide-open and blanketed with a few inches of completely untouched powder. I had found a great spot to myself, because no one had gone this way yet. I landed at Birds of Prey, far from Centennial Express. Fortunately, on the way down from there, I found a cat track back to the village. That was where I had parked and started my day. So, I returned, grabbed my Sony/Zeiss combo and headed back up the mountain.
Regarding Parking
I parked in a great place. My car was accessible, so that I could easily return to grab my camera. After taking some runs and shooting with my iPhone, I knew where to go for the best views. I also knew how to get around the double blacks. I started my day with some excellent runs in fresh powder, and there were still good shots to be had when I went back up.
That day, I had not paid close attention to the map. As a result, I ended up taking runs I would like to have avoided. I can do most runs, but I am not a mogul master on a snowboard. So, I recommend studying the map a bit, if you don’t want to end up on runs that exceed your ability or force you to waste your valuable energy. The double black diamonds at Beaver Creek are full of moguls. It takes a big dump of fresh snow to fill them in.
If you are traveling to Vail or the Avon area, set aside time to ski or snowboard at Beaver Creek. It is worth it. On powder days, with so much terrain to choose from, a few hours of cutting fresh tracks is very realistic. It happened for me, and it was glorious.
ETG recommends visiting these sites: https://www.beavercreek.com as well as https://www.colorado.com/
CLICK HERE to read more articles about Colorado.
