The Click on the Mountain photo contest took place for the seventh time in mid-March 2015 on the south side of Mont Blanc in Courmayuer, Italy. Difficult conditions characterized this year's edition of the competition. However, the teams did not let this slow them down and delivered strong photo books at the end of the three days of the contest. With Lorenzo Rieg as photographer and Lukas Zögernitz as skier, two members of the PowderGuide editorial team were also represented as participants in team three. Four teams consisting of a photographer, two skiers selected by the photographer, a local skier and a guide had 72 hours to take photos in Courmayeur and the local mountain world. The focus was of course on ski and snowboard images, but landscape and lifestyle shots were also required in order to deliver a balanced photo book with 20 photos at the end. The teams mostly consisted of a mix of skiers and snowboarders and with Seb Mayer there was also a telemark skier at the start. The nations were also a colorful mix: in addition to the locals from Italy (Simon Gruber, Matthias Fabro), there were French (Kevin Guri, Seb Mayer), Austrians (Flo Orley), a Russian (Ivan Malakhov) and an Argentinian (Niki Salecon) among the racers. With the ski resort in Coumayeur, the Helbronner gondola on the Mont Blanc massif and a heli day, the teams also had a wide range of terrain to choose from, from treeruns to exposed, high alpine steep gullies.
Day 1 - the search for snow and visibility
With low-lying clouds, passing snow showers and the associated poor visibility, the search for possible photo opportunities in the Courmayeur ski resort was extremely difficult. Despite very little precipitation above the tree line in the previous days, the snow conditions were perfectly fine. However, the fresh snow that had fallen was too heavy for fat powder shots in the trees and rain up to over 2000 m made the search for suitable spots correspondingly difficult. In steeper gullies, however, the fresh snow that had fallen was easy to ride and so our team tried to get some shots from lines through gullies. Here, however, the weather put a spanner in the works. Although there were always windows with usable visibility in the surrounding mountains, the fog unfortunately persisted in the chosen face. As a result, the yield of ski photos for day 1 was rather paltry. As better weather was forecast for the following days, many teams also focused on lifestyle photos on day 1.
Day 2 - better weather, storms and climbing
As forecast, the weather was much better on the second day of the competition. However, the wind flags at the summit of Mont Blanc already indicated that there was no possibility of using the helicopter or the gondola to Punta Helbronner. For this reason, all the teams were back in the ski area on the second day. As the two highest gondolas in the ski area were also closed, many teams found themselves in the few spots with good snow. For most of the teams, the yield of ski photos from the first day was still quite low and so the pressure to finally get some good shots was palpable. Due to the limited space available, for many riders this meant trying to make individual turns look as good as possible, then hike up again briefly - and then try again. This worked well for many of the teams and the faces at dinner were clearly more satisfied than on day one. Two teams also took advantage of the beautiful day to take impressive sunset shots on the western slopes. For our team, the day didn't quite go to plan and after a lengthy descent in difficult terrain on an ice crust formed by the rain, we also missed the opportunity for the sunset shot, as the only route consisted of two abseils in a gully washed out by an avalanche.
Day 3 - Improved weather and Helitime
The wind died down on the third day, making it possible for the helicopters to take off. After the obligatory espresso in the morning, all teams set off highly motivated to their assigned heli drop zones in order to get the best shots for the contest on the last day. Of course, the storm of the last two days had also taken its toll on the snow high up and, depending on the exposure, it was difficult to find good, unblown snow even with the help of the heli. There was everything from wind cover to slush - snow that unfortunately doesn't look so good in photos. So the third day was also quite busy for photographers and riders. But the incredible panorama and the impressive glaciers with their crevasses and fractures provided the perfect backdrop. At the joint pick-up point, the teams were also able to discuss the conditions in the respective spots before the next flights before heading back up the mountain, each team on its own. The day flew by and our team was lucky enough to be dropped off on an exposed summit above Courmayeur on the last flight thanks to the guide's good connections. There we took some more pictures with the sunset in the background and for many of the team members, unforgettable impressions of the mountain landscape around the town. All the teams were quite satisfied with the day's outcome, even if the heli spot they were allocated was not to everyone's advantage.
The winners
While the jury members were making their decision and the photographers were taking a well-deserved break after a long night of fine-tuning the images on their laptops, some of the riders from the various teams got together to spend a day skiing together on the Mont Blanc massif. In the evening, the photo books of all the teams were presented in the center of Courmayeur and the jury's decision was announced. German photographer Klaus Polzer and his team Flo Orley (AUT), Niki Salecon (ARG) and Raffaele Cusini (ITA) came out on top. They delivered a well-balanced portfolio, in which creative shots and above all the high level of the riders came to the fore. The prize for the best ski photo also went to Klaus Polzer for a powder shot of Niki Salecon. The best snowboard photo went to Hiishii, also for a powder shot by Simon Gruber. Overall, the quality and yield of the photos was very impressive for the difficult conditions and all teams were able to enjoy the good Italian cuisine and hospitality over dinner.
