Kivesvaara, Finland

Kivesvaara is a skicentre in northern Finland, wich was closed 1995.

So we hiked with Jonna Susi (skier) about 1h and 40min to get to the

top. But it certainly was worth it.

A pity the skier is a bit dark but thatis being really picky. An excellent photo, well taken and good attention to detail, especially the virgin snow

Great detail in the snow and great light. Tough image, because the sunlight coming across the snow is such an attractive part of the image, but there's no light on this side of the skier - it took me a second to notice him (her?) at all, since s/he's less well lit and against the background. However, in all other ways, this is an excellent shot. Enjoy.

Thanks for the comments. I thought of using very mild flash, to get that skier really out of that background. But i thought it would be too riskfull to that beautiful snow on the foreground. Next time i'll have to take two alternative versions with a mild "fill flash" and without. But when shooting this kind of photos you will face problem, that "virgin snow" can not be used twice.

As a skier I appreciate what you went through to get the shot. As a photographer I appreciate even more what you went through to get this shot. The horizon is a bit off level but the image is wonderful. Great work!!!

I like a lot this image. The snow is perfect.

As a skiier, I'm drooling! ;-)

Lovely shot.

tight athmosphere, good light. it cannot be easy to get an action shot like that with the fast moevement and to have everything on order the same time. Congratulations!

What a splendid image ! Pefect light and exposure, beautiful texture of the snow, good crop and action just well freezed, congratulations !

This is one of the best skiing photos I've ever seen, and as a backcountry skier, I've seen quite a few. Everything came together for a fantastic photo. Well done!

This is my favorite skiing photo on PN. The skyline is beautiful. I like that you've kept the tree-line well defined. As for better light on the skier, a flash would have ruined the snow, and I don't think the shot is about this one skier but about being out there in the beautiful surroundings. There's plenty of definition in the skier for my taste. Very well done!

I appreciate the compromise you had to make : dark face and preserve the fg textures and colour fidelity, or use a flash and strip that. The composition is so compelling that I think you made the right decision in the end.