Strap for Skiing

<p>So, I don't ski with my SLR, except when it is a must. Mostly, because every way I have to carry it is akward on skis (either the stock strap or a Burton F-Stop Backpack). Just curious if anyone has found a sling style strap that has worked better for skiing than the stock neck straps.It needs to lock the camera in position while skiing, but quickly allow access to it when I stop to shoot.</p>

<p>Nope, and I was a PSIA cert in alpine.</p>

<p>I never found any method that got a DSLR out of the way (ie, neither in front so it wouldn't crush your chest in a forward fall/collision, nor in back, so it wouldn't get hung up on the chairlift ride), AND be convenient.</p>

<p>The best I ever came up with for a DSLR kit was a photo backpack that I would carry up the chair in my arms. </p>

<p>Overall, the *really* best approach is a smaller camera. ;-)</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>Yeah, I ski with the Olympus E-PM1 as much as possible, but sometimes you just need the DSLR (AF Tracking, particular lenses, etc).<br /><br />If I had the money, I would probably grab an E-M5 and use that, but sadly a new camera is not in the forecast for at least a year.</p>

<p>Not a pro here and haven't hit the slopes in some time but have you tried one of those chest rigs from Cotton Carrier? (I think thats the name) Looks pretty sturdy to me.</p>

<p>Nope. I'll have to look one up and see what they look like. Thanks.</p>

<p>If one is shooting in one area of the mountain, (e.g, the park, a particular turn in a race course, etc.), and not moving around the mountain a lot, I'm OK with having a big un-yieldable chunk of metal attached to my chest, but if I need to move from one side of the mountain to the other, I definitely prefer to have it on my back, in a pack. Besides, if you are carrying other equipment (eg, pocket wizards, strobes, other lenses), you are stuck using a backpack anyway. YMMV.</p>

<p>BTW, not directly related to your question, but another important feature to consider are the advantages of shooting with a camera that has an articulated LCD. I can ski backwards very fast, but unless I have someone spotting for me, I'm always torn between my photographic task and safety, ie, keeping track (over my shoulder) of what I might run into. However, with an articulated LCD, I can ski parallel and slightly ahead of someone (say, hitting a park feature) while skiing normally (instead of backwards).</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

For general skiing a small camera works well - I just use a Nikon 1 that goes in a pocket. For shooting racing with long

lenses and DSLR I just carry a large backpack. I find you either set up the shot and use a DSLR or you just carry

something small. For racing it help if you shoot from a low angle although you need to watch the spill zones as the best

shots are usually when you are in the spill zone.

<p>ClikElite. I have the Contrajour 40L, and love it. Might be a bit big/overkill as it is more of a backcountry studio... I believe they make some smaller "daypack" ski bags. Check them out. They also make a good side sling with a belt strap, dude who I've skied for uses one all the time.</p>