Jordan Manley Photography

Aka Skidor cover and feature

Jordan Manley — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:49:23 +0000

The people at Aka Skidor in Sweden have been very nice to Chad Sayers and I this season – giving us now a 3rd cover since the fall. This one was taken in Monterosa, Italy last season when we had stellar conditions. Also in this issue, a feature I shot in La Grave last season.

I’m still in La Grave at the moment and wishing we had the same deep pow we did at this time last year, but there is a system on the way and we are keen to start shooting again. The skiing has been great with lots of chalky couloirs, but it doesn’t show up the same way on film as powder does.

La Grave, France

Jordan Manley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:24:28 +0000

I’m now in La Grave and just got off the hill after my first day back here skiing. It is my 3rd year in a row (and in total) having the good fortune to be able to ski and experience this magical place. The grandur of rock and ice here blow the mind, and the way a skier can move through such a huge volume of spectacular terrain in a day is like nothing else I’ve experienced. You have to be on your toes, and you have to know where you’re going, as there is no ski patrol, nothing is marked, and the terrain is extremely complex. You’re on your own to wander the mountains, giving you a much more real experience as a skier, and consequently you feel that much more alive. I’m here shooting photos, as well as shooting a web episode for Arcteryx/Goretex. These episodes I’m doing will consist of video, stills, and timelapses that I’m gathering with a Nikon D3s, which is proving to be a great all-in-one tool.

Gulmarg, Kashmir

Jordan Manley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:57:16 +0000

I have just left India and already it seems we weren’t there for long. The truth is, we weren’t. The goal: to ski at Gulmarg, a small ski resort, the only of it’s kind in the entire Himalaya. Equiped with the highest gondola in the world, we were set to ski some stunning terrain and magical snow, and capture the experience (both photography and video). Upon arrival however, we learned quickly they are having the worst season anyone can remember, and to make matters worse the snow stability was beyond bad. With our safety caps on, we poked around and gathered enough footage we could for the web episode I’m doing for Arcteryx/Goretex. Deciding to leave before schedule, it seems we made the right call. We jumped ship prior to a big forecasted snowfall, and we’ve seen all over the news 17 soldiers died tragically in an avalanche in Gulmarg – tragic because this could have been prevented 100% with some reasonable snow safety knowledge.

It was incredible to go to India and experience such a completely different world, warm people, and the stunning beauty of the Himalaya, however we’ll have to wait until another year to experience safe and powdery skiing.

Guatemala, a diversion from Winter

Jordan Manley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:37:22 +0000

This post is a little dated, my apologies. In January, I did something I never do, and that is ride my bike…in Guatemala of all places. Shooting for Bike magazine, I joined Vancouver Island writer Andrew Findlay, and together we joined Matt Hartell and his co-pilot Luisa for a trip around Guatemala riding. Most of the riding was on (some ancient) Mayan foot paths that Matt has pieced together into flowing trails, something that has taken a lot of exploration and work. From riding down to Lake Atitlan rimmed with volcanoes on limestone foot steps, to eating mystery meat on dirt floors with a family in the remote village of Chortiz, it was a wild experience.

Mountain Life cover

Jordan Manley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:15:51 +0000

Here is the new issue of Mountain Life magazine from the Coast. The (main) photograph is of Chad Sayers from our short time spent up in Smithers, BC last March.

American Photo magazine

Jordan Manley — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:15:31 +0000

Recently I had the opportunity to be featured in American Photo magazine, as part of their “One to Watch” and “Skills” departments. Feel free to check it out by downloading the PDF’s here APH0210_017-019 and here APH0210_068-070.

Deep Winter Photo Challenge

Jordan Manley — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:23:34 +0000

2010 marked the 5th Annual Deep Winter Photo Challenge, and the 3rd time I competed in it. The competition format is comprised of 3 shooting days, where 5 photographer-athlete teams shoot on Whistler Blackcomb during operation hours, in-bounds (for the most part), and around the village any time. On the 4th day each team presents a slideshow in front of a 1000 strong crowd and a panel of 5 judges. It is always interesting to see how with the exact same conditions and time frame, the different teams produce completely different results. The last two years, my team was voted top spot, and this year, after working hard for three days my team mates (Dave Short and Chad Sayers) and I were voted top spot again. We tried to get creative as possible – climbing trees, rappelling down cliffs, amongst other things in order to get unique perspectives.

A huge thanks to Dave Short and Chad Sayers for their creative vision and hard work in front of the camera, and to John and Ange as well. I’ll post some behind the scenes footage in the coming weeks from some of the more interesting setups.

Bringing in the New Year at Great Canadian Heli Skiing

Jordan Manley — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:26:53 +0000

There was no better way to end 2009 and start 2010 than by visiting Great Canadian Heli Skiing at Rogers Pass, BC for a 3 day photo shoot. I was joined by Jamie Bond from Doglotion.com, and Dave and Dan Treadway who (as always) killed it in front of the camera. Stunning terrain (burn and pillow heaven), deep and stable blower powder, and warm hospitality made for a fantastic New Years.

Here is a video edited together from some video I took between shooting stills, with some additional footage provided by Jamie Bond.

Bringing in the New Year at Great Canadian Heli Skiing from Jordan Manley Photography on Vimeo.

Thanks to Tim and Greg and our guide Paddy at Great Canadian Heli Skiing for making it all happen.

Aka Skidor cover image

Jordan Manley — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:48:43 +0000

Here is a recent cover from the Swedish ski magazine Aka Skidor. The image is of Chad Sayers, taken in the Blackcomb backcountry.

Skiing magazine cover image

Jordan Manley — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:30:06 +0000

Here is a recent cover from Skiing magazine, taken with Chad Sayers last spring in the Blackcomb backcountry.