The genre of ‘chairlift’ pictures, as I see it, documents how folks ski, ride and play at lift-served resorts. I make pictures from the chairs, around the lifts, under the lifts, of the lifties who operate them, of the parties that result, the weather, the powder and the fun that results.
But I spend most of my time on pictures from the chair I’m riding. There’s an obvious reason for this: I like to ski. So does my wife. If I stop constantly on the hill, I might upset her, and I certainly won’t get in as many turns. There is also great sport in trying to photograph all the action going down while I’m riding up. I seek synchronicity: Moments when I’m ready, gloves off, camera on and a special scene unfolding just as my chair approaches. My photojournalism professor, the great Chuck Scott, might call it planning my luck. And I certainly feel lucky when it all comes together.
Altitude Adjustment: A Book of ‘Chairlift’ Pictures is a great way to put this fun on your coffee table. Learn more and order here. Some of these are available as art prints I print and sign. Check them out at our store or share your interest via our contact form.
Click any picture to enlarge into a slide show where you can arrow through images. Click “Esc” or X to exit.
Skiers and a snowboarder ride the Ruby Chief Lift on a chilly December afternoon at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.Light snow falling under a blue sky highlights a pair of skiers crossing a ridge along the Continental Divide to reach the steep Curecanti face on a powdery March morning at Monarch Mountain.Two snowboarders sit with their boards atop a slope in West Virginia at sunset.Skiers and riders fill the Pioneer quad and Garfield double chairlifts on a busy January Saturday at Monarch Mountain.A snowboard rider stretches against a blue sky on the Breezeway Lift at Monarch Mountain.Snowboard rider sails through air over tracked powder at Monarch Mountain.A snowboard rider plows through fresh powder at Monarch Mountain.A pair of stickers on a chair on the Garfield Lift at Monarch Mountain.A pair of skiers step back into their bindings after falling in fresh, heavy, April powder. Both apparently stumbled on a ridge left by groomers before the half-foot of snow fell late the previous night.Each April, as the time neared to close Monarch Mountain’s ski operation in central Colorado, workers built a flume of snow that leads to a lined pond at the bottom of the Freeway slope. Competitors in the annual Kayaks on the Snow race down to splash and paddle to the finish. The tradition ended in 2022 when a kayak (not this one) sailed into the crowd, hitting a man in the chest. He survived.Fireworks fill the sky, following a torchlight parade on New Year’s Eve at Monarch Mountain.A ski and boot rise from a cloud of February powder during a fall on steep Sheer Rocko at Monarch Mountain.A lift operator reaches out to bump a chair at Monarch Mountain.A snow boarder blows out of the trees, surfing fluffy April powder on the last day of the season at Monarch Mountain.A skier dips through the trees on a February powder day at Monarch Mountain.Skiers ride the Garfield Lift at Colorado’s Monarch Mountain.Snowboards and skis on riders of the Pioneer Lift glow with reflected light from from fresh snow under a bluebird sky at Monarch Mountain.Snow guns coat the slope, trees and chairlift at Timberline Ski Resort on a bitter-cold January day.A liftie and participant in the annual Kayaks on the Snow event at Monarch Mountain expresses his enthusiasm for the end-of-season celebration.Skiers and riders take a break on the snowy “beach” on and around the wooden decks at Gorrono Ranch Lodge, a ski-in, ski-out restaurant at Telluride Ski Resort on the last day of the 2019-2020 season – due to COVID-19 concerns.A snowboarder glides through long shadows on fast hard pack at the end of a March afternoon at Monarch MountainA young skier tries to embrace the challenge of a rocky face at Monarch Mountain.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
