Featured Image: Rick Sorensen | Skier: Jeff King
Selecting a cover is no easy process. Every year, FREESKIER receives countless submissions from the finest photographers in the wide world of skiing. Each shot has a unique tale and often that backstory never sees the light of day. Behind the Cover is meant to change that. We dialed up photographer Rick Sorensen to get an inside look at how the idyllic shot that landed on the cover of FREESKIER Magazine Volume 27 Issue 2 came to fruition.
Thanks for talking, Rick. Congratulations on landing this epic cover shot! When you were out shooting for this one, how did the day start? Did you begin with high expectations?
It was a real sleeper day at the end of March. We had been in a decent storm cycle in Aspen but hadn’t had much of a break in the weather for good light. When it looked like we were going to get a little window on this particular morning, Jeff [King] and I pulled it together quickly and caught the first bucket up. We knew the snow would be good, but didn’t have high expectations for light.
It had been super flat light for the last few days. When we made it to the spot, however, we were lucky enough to get just enough of a break in the clouds to light up this cliff band for a few minutes. I got into position quickly, and Jeff nailed the turn. We got socked in for the rest of the day, and this was pretty much the only shot we got.
Sounds like the snow was great that day. How about in the previous few days?
Yeah, the skiing was all-time. Aspen was having an epic season, and we were in the middle of a classic late-season sleeper storm cycle. So it was really full on storm skiing for most of the week prior. Super cold and windy, but epic. On this particular morning, though, probably 14 inches of new had fallen the night before. The wind had died off and the storm broke for a perfect, albeit short, window to go bag a shot.
Was this an area you had shot before or were you getting acquainted with a new zone?
This is a zone I had shot a few times, but never in this particular spot. There’s not a ton of contrast up there, so we were drawn to this cliff band because of how in and out the light was that day. I wanted Jeff to jump off it, but he wasn’t too keen on that [laughs]. I’d say it worked out even better this way.
What speaks to you about this shot the most?
Some of the best days I’ve ever had on skis are the ones I least expected. Coming to Aspen at the end of March, I expected to be working on my goggle tan and skiing slushy bumps, not choking on cold smoke pow. I love how you can tell how cold and light the snow was in the photo. It looks like it was shot in mid-January. I’m pretty sure the next day it went hot and everything turned to mush. The shot really signifies the beauty of being in the right place at the right time.
With “good” being a term that’s so subjective in art, what do you personally look for in a good photo?
Oh man, everyone has a different eye for it. Personally, I’ve always tried to capture as much of the environment as possible. We don’t ski in little boxes. We ski in these massive, beautiful landscapes, with all these crazy cool and unique features, like the red rock cliff band and giant cornice in this photo.
I’ve always been just as inspired by the places we ski in as I am by the skiing, so I try to capture as much of that as I can when I shoot photos. Sometimes, that makes the skier really small. Not everyone likes that, but I enjoy telling more of the story than just a single turn. For me, a good photo explores more of the environment and the surrounding factors.
Who’s one skier you think everyone should watch these days?
Keep your eye on Zeb Schreiber. The young buck from Tahoe is on a tear. He will make waves, for sure.
