Snowboarding in Whistler, BC - which equipment to take ?

[brad_reisner1]

Hi.

I will be going to Whistler BC for 4 days of snowboarding, and need

some advice on which photography equipment to take. I have access to

an SLR, medium format gear, a fixed focus point and shoot, and an

older compact rangefinder. I'm not that accomplished a snowboarder,

yet, so carrying the gear down the mountain is going to be somewhat

difficult, but I will be staying walking distance from the mountain,

so I can always hike it. Having never been to BC, I don't know what to

expect in terms of scenery, so any recommendations would be

appreciated.

Thanks !

[geddert]

Well, I would probably say bring a point and shoot - or any other gear you can fall down with and not cry all the way down the hill while hoping you didn't break your equipment. If you are rich, take it all and don't worry about... that would mean that you would have to be RICH. Make sure your gear isn't going to break you if you fall - i.e. if you have a medium format gear strapped to your chest and you do a nose dive, that could really hurt your chest. If you are like the rest of us mortals and not able to risk such expensive equipment in a blatantly dangerous way I think a point and shoot would be the best for the slopes (especially if you are not an accomplished snowboarder - snowboarders tend to fall more frequently than skiers anyways - its part of the game - a skier that is unaccomplished may be able to snow plow down the whole hill with their gear and be relatively certain they wouldn't fall - this doesn't work for snowboarders) - the mountains there are much like big beautiful mountains everywhere else - so if you want to take a lift up, then take some pictures from the top (without your snowboard attached to your feet) - then take the lift down again a medium format camera would be nice for scenic shots. Chances are it wouldn't be too nice for action jump shots - where the shutter lag on an SLR (and the speed of the motor drive) would make it the better option - once again, i would take the lift up, and stay up there or hike down the side of the hill with your gear - its safer for your gear as well as yourself.

[james lipman]

Brad,

 

As Matthew said, do not ski/snowboard with a large camera around your neck; if you fall badly, it really hurts (and may well smash-up your ribs). Also, don't ski with a camera in your hand, because sooner or later, you are bound to need to balance with it and will probably dunk it into the snow (been there, done that). If you want to take lots of kit, get a padded rucksack or Domke inserts, and make sure that if you fall, you fall forwards!

 

As for the camera choice - take the camera you are most comfortable with, preferably with large controls. Personally, I carry quite a lot of stuff (SLR, 20mm, 50mm, 80-200mm, incident lightmeter and folding 6x6, and lots and lots of batteries). Also, get some thin under-gloves so that you can operate the camera in the cold - ski gloves are a real bitch! Also, don't forget to compensate the exposure for the snow - 1 to 2 stops depending on the lighting conditions otherwise the snow comes-out grey.

 

Hope you have a great trip!

[david_merfeld1]

Brad,

 

All the prior advice is spot-on; don't wear a medium format camera around your neck. I would add that you really shouldn't wear any camera around your neck. Somehow, the falls are SO much worse on the board, compared to on skis. Last year, I caught an edge and took a minor fall, with a Leica strapped to my chest; I spent the next 15 minutes on the ground, writhing in pain.

 

On the other hand, I have had much luck carrying a 645 in a knapsack. Just wrap it in your extra fleece, and you should have plenty of padding. For easy access, you can also bring a small fanny pack, and throw your P & S into this.

 

This is such a huge mountain, that I would strongly recommend bringing a pack anyway, to carry extra clothing and food. With a vertical mile, the climate at the top can be dramatically different from the bottom, and you don't want to be stuck without the right clothing. Making your way back down to the base to get those warm mittens can take hours, depending on your skill level.

[manrico_scremin1]

Brad,

 

You may already have it but here's the URL for the Whistler snow report: http://www.intrawest.net/Weather_HTML/Whistler_weather.html.

I find that it's generally accurate. (I ski there many weekends.)

 

One thing to consider in terms of equipment is that there are secure pack storage facilities on various parts of the two mountains. I believe that by buying a pack storage day ticket for a couple of dollars you can, for example, store your pack at the Whistler Roundhouse lodge in the morning, board with it for a few runs, then store it for the rest of the day somewhere else.

 

March is usually the best time for skiing at Whistler. The snowpack is a bit lower than normal this year but it's still very good. Have a great trip!

[cisko]

<P>I just got back on Saturday from Whistler. I was favorably impressed by Greg Griffith's photography there. You can check out his online gallery at <A HREF="http://www.mountainmoments.com/"> http://www.mountainmoments.com/</A>. That will give you some idea of what to look for, though it would be tough to get to many of the locations he uses. Visit the gallery while you're in town, it's easy to get to and rather nice.

 

<P>If you really want to snowboard, just take the P&S and don't worry about the heavier stuff. In my experience it's impossible to try to do big-camera photography and get in decent skiing/boarding at the same time. I bought my Stylus Epic for exactly this purpose and it's great; I can shoot it one-handed even with gloves on.

 

<P>If you want action shots, you'll probably end up with the SLR. Tough part is finding a subject, though you could try the half-pipe or terrain parks. (I think the half-pipe on Whistler was closed for some reason, though the 1/4-pipe, lower down, was open.)

 

<P>On the other hand, if you're interested in landscape or other static shots, use what works best for you. However, I'm not sure how much you'll get from on the runs; they don't tend to offer an interesting perspective. It's also somewhat tough to find a good foreground unless you're skiing among the trees.

 

<P>On a clear day, make sure to get to the tops of the mountains. Everyone has a photo or ten of Black Tusk but you have to get it anyway. On Whistler, either the Peak chair or Harmony chair will get you a good view over the ridge; Harmony offers a nice easy route down through Symphony Bowl. On Blackcomb, make sure to try Blackcomb Glacier. Take either Glacier Express or 7th Heaven chair, ski down to the Showcase T-Bar, and ride it up. You'll then have to hike about 100 feet up -- easy for you boarders! -- to the top of the glacier run. It's well worth the effort.

 

<P>Sigh, I could head back right now. Have a great time, and post a photo here if you get something fun.

 

<P>Cheers,<BR>

Dave

[kirk_nelson]

I've been up there twice in the last two months and I tried something different in terms of photography each time. The first time I just took my Olympus Stylus Epic P&S, and although it worked well I felt I was missing some good shots due to its limitations. Last month, I carted around an SLR with a 28-105 lens and a 100-300 lens, plus a flash and various other equipment. I have a Lowe Pro hip pack and it wasn't terribly inconvenient to lug around. Usually I swung the pack around to the front before I got on a lift otherwise I felt like I would fall off since I had to sit forward!

 

There were pluses and minuses to both setups. You can't beat the P&S for convenience: it is very light and easy to access. On the other hand you might miss some shots, plus you have no control over exposure. I found the SLR setup a little cumbersome, but not bad. I probably wouldn't recommend it for someone with very little experience skiing or snowboarding. I also found that I never swapped out the lens, so make sure you bring a good zoom lens. It is just too much of a hassle monkeying around with the lenses on the mountain. Also, regardless of what camera(s) you have you will probably take fewer real keepers than you hoped for. If you take too many shots you start sacrificing quality skiing or riding, and you can't have that! Good luck.

 

P.S. I posted some of my shots on PhotoPoint. Have a look at http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1434846&a=10755532&f=0 for the P&S album, and http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1434846&a=11874890&f=0 for the SLR album.<div></div>

[tk]

I am a snowboarder 8 years now. My advice. Do one or the other.

The pressure of a camera being shoved into your body on a fall can be VERY dangerous. And you WILL fall. Go out, enjoy yourself, and learn to balance, and try new tricks ect. The amount of people who get hurt at this sport, wether serioulsy or minor is exoborant. and alot of them are very experienced(myself included). Take a few hours with your PS camera for picture taking. Don't intend to do "snowbaording" and photography together. Take your board off and walk around if you have to. I have used video at the mountain, and did that without boarding(just to and from the locations). I have broken a few bones, and have seen some bad things(I also work at the resort). So, my advice is do one or the other. Take a few rolls, put the camera away, and go enjoy yourself. Or, have one of the lift operatiors take the photos for, or of you. Most would be willing to help w/ no problems. Don't mean to discourage, just be wise...