ESPN Snowboarding

Thursday night, five of the world's top action sports photographers each put together a nine-minute "slideshow" of their work, set it to music and pressed Play for a hyped-up crowd in the Whistler Conference Center. The finalists who made it to the big show, held this year in the heart of the Grenade Games, were: Ian Ruhter, Christian Pondella, Scott Pommier, Daniel Blom, and Jordan Manley.

If you've never been to the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, you might think, "Oh, mountain town media... Cool. Small." Think again. The ballroom hosting the event seats approximately 1500 and every single one of those seats had at least one butt in it. Add to this all the people standing against the walls, watching action on the six massive screens—not to mention the line-up of poor saps outside who couldn't get in—and the Showdown felt more like a big New York opening than li'l ol' Whistler, BC. The various art installations in the lobby, including a cool Westbeach heritage retrospective, a first-person skate display from Color magazine, and a wall from surf/snow lensman Scott Serfas, added to the appreciative vibe for all things visual.

The five chosen photographers are all famous for something, mostly ski or snowboard photography, but the Showdown is their chance to show off portfolio diversity and their signature style—as they see it. After introductions from ski legend Mike Douglas—wearing a short dress (that really showed off his tree stump ski thighs), a long wig and a scruffy beard—snowboarding's own Ian Ruhter started things off. With a show that mixed some of his stylized lifestyle imagery (from his work with Vans), solid action, and multiple exposures that mixed the two, Ruhter definitely showed diversity. He also had architectural shots that most of us had never seen and a mini show that highlighted skateboarders, motocrossers, and other athletes performing solid grinds, airs and wheelies despite rolling with prosthetic legs, feet, and other limbs. His final shot of a dirtbike pulling away from an empty wheelchair rightly received mad applause.

Head Red Bull photog, Christian Pondella, was next up with shots that ranged from BASE jumping to ice climbing to straight-up spelunking. These shots were definitely the most "extreme" of the night with huge action and certain death involved. I'm no fan of pan flute backing any kind of mountain photography and the number of Red Bull logos sometimes detracted from the sheer aesthetics of the photos for me personally, but Pondella is clearly a big mountain master comfortable shooting brilliant images in situations that most of us would freeze up in just watching. Big. Bold. Bangin'.

You might recognize Scott Pommier's work from his incredible "leaf shot" cover of Transworld Skateboarding a few years back. That shot was in his show as was more ridiculous skateboarding action (with a lot of Rick McCrank), some stills that appeared to be from the documentary Carts of Darkness, and a section devoted to some truly cool chopper shots and associated motorcycle-based images. His choice of a killer Joy Division song made the most of the booming sound system, and I'm pretty sure I saw a roadkill possum getting kissed in there somewhere, too. Mad style.

Swedish snowboard photographer Daniel Blom came correct with a more narrative approach to his show rather than what can sometimes feel like a "greatest hits" package. His beautiful images of riders blasting backcountry airs with laser blue skies and perfect powder are now world famous but they really do wonders on a 15-foot wide TV. Blom also added handrail clanks, generator growls and the sound of metal edges on ice to his show, along with the music, giving it a more experiential feel overall. Scandinavian design at its finest.

Last up to the plate was local legend Jordan Manley who, at 24, has already won four photo comps. He had a huge fan club in the house and, once you saw his show, it quickly became clear that these admirers don't hang out with him just for his beard. At least in Whistler, Manley shows up to these things as the guy to beat.

Manley's work is quintessential BC with lots of misty mornings, dripping hemlock trees and a constant, subtle, conversation between weak light and strong fog. He has both incredible timing and an original, organic eye. His macro shot of a bright green leaf with a fly on it would be cool on its own but, when you notice the upside-down mountain biker framed perfectly in the dewdrop hanging off the end of the leaf, well...damn. That shot bagged the heaviest applause of the night, and Manley's show was capped off with a partial standing ovation and a $10,000 check for the win. Beardy and be-cardigan-ned, Manley accepted yet another award with grace and humility and embodied the hard work and vision it takes to be a successful shooter in sports that mostly take place in the cold and wet.

Marc Frank Montoya showed up fashionably late, as per, but told ESPN on the way out the door that he was impressed by what he saw. "If I knew Ruhter was even in here, I would've been here hella early," he said. "I've never been to one of these and it's huge. It's serious... it's a trip. It makes me want to be a photographer. Nah, for real. I got a nice camera a couple of years ago and never used it [laughs]. Missed out on so many years... But [taking photos] is not as easy as people think..."

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