From February 22 to 24, the sleepy Trentino village of San Martino di Castrozza at Passo Rolle became the base camp for the predominantly Italian-speaking freeride community. Ten pro teams, consisting of two well-known freeriders and a photographer, as well as lots of WANNABES and amateur photographers dropped, turned, photographed and smiled on the two days in February. All on the hunt for the freeride shot of the future king of the Dolomites. Contest participant Hanna Finkel was there for PowderGuide...On Friday evening, February 22, 2013, a horde of freeride-savvy and well-known skiers, telemarkers and snowboarders gathered in the small winter sports resort of San Martino di Castrozza in the Trentino Dolomites for the King of Dolomites 2013. In the Mountain Lounge Bar "La Scoiatollo", the challenging photo competition and the freeride spectacle were duly kicked off with pizza and pasta on this cold February evening. In addition to getting to know each other, the upcoming photo contest naturally also provided plenty to talk about. And so, the evening before, the riders and photographers were already working together in theory on the one freeride photo that could take the coveted crown of the Dolomites. One and a half days didn't seem to be a long time for this, as the weather forecast had also only predicted isolated windows of good weather. Over the next two days, the riders and photographers therefore needed the right timing and the right eye.
Day ONE - sun versus clouds
The first day of the contest began with icy temperatures, clear air, a blue sky and sunshine. Accompanied by the first rays of sunshine of the day, the teams tackled the first lines and the photographers captured the action in front of the lens. Each team also had the opportunity to be accompanied by a professional and local mountain guide, who of course ensured safety on the one hand and had one or two photogenic secret spots up his sleeve on the other. The number of times the shutter button of any camera was pressed on this Saturday morning was probably not even photographed by the ski tourists in the sleepy Trentino nest in an entire winter season. Despite the beautiful weather in the morning, the ski resort at Passo Rolle seemed lonely and so there was plenty of space to photograph the first lines and untouched faces.
While the pro teams and their photographers were already in full swing in the snow, the WANNABES, the so-called amateur skiers and photographers, were already getting down to modeling and camera work. So while the WANNABEs and pros were getting into the action in the snow for their photographers, guests, spectators and visitors to the King of Dolomites 2013 were able to marvel at the latest products from sponsors ARC'TERYX and SCARPA in the Ski Test Village at Alpe Tognola at 2200 m above sea level and test all kinds of freeride skis in deep snow. As the weather got worse and the light got darker, the riders and photographers came back one after the other from their photo expeditions and left the hard work behind for the day. The joint King of Dolomites Rider's Dinner at the Rifugio Colverde at 2000 m above sea level rewarded the organizers and participants with an Italian four-course menu accompanied by delicious red wine for the hard work on this day.
Day TWO - off to the forest due to bad weather
On day two of the King of Dolomites, the pro teams and WANNABES were expecting anything but photogenic weather. A thick blanket of cloud hung over San Martino di Castrozza and was not going to move anytime soon. That's why the teams' creativity and ingenuity were needed to get that certain something out of the pictures on this day. Pillows, obstacles, face shots and tree runs therefore became the props of the photo shoot and faces full of snow were focused on. Shortly before three o'clock, the last teams handed in their USB sticks and memory cards, each containing three pictures per rider.
And the winner is...
At 4 pm sharp on Sunday, the King of the Dolomites was crowned at the Tognola Campo Base Après Ski Bar. This year's crown of the Dolomites went to Canadian photographer Brian Goldstone and the two Arc'teryx athletes Jose Carron and Paolo Marazzi with a picture that is typically impressive and atmospheric for the Dolomites. Followed by photographer Andre Schönnherr's perfectly crafted picture with his team riders Matthias Egger and Sebastain Huber and the fish-eye perspective of Alessandro "Alo" Belluscio with Massimo Braconi and Simone Canal, the pictures taken at the King of Dolomites 2013 were more than impressive. Even the amateur photographers and hobby freeriders impressed the jury with their portfolios.
You can see the pictures from our team in the gallery:
Here you can now take a look at the photo album of the King of Dolomites 2013.
Organizers, sponsors, participants and visitors were all thrilled by two exciting event days in a breathtaking mountain region, where the King of the Dolomites will hopefully be crowned again next year. You can find more information about this special freeride event at: www.kingofdolomites.com
