Whistler Blackcomb is well known for its consistent and reliable snowfall throughout the winter, but the month of January has long been celebrated by skiers and riders as storm season. Storm season brings with it plenty of snow and deep powder days on the mountains, and this sacred time will once again be documented by six professional photographers at the seventh annual ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Photo Challenge, Presented by GORE-TEX® products.

During the ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Photo Challenge Presented by GORE-TEX® products, professional photographers are given 72 hours to shoot in-bounds at Whistler Blackcomb, capturing athletes in their natural mountain habitat of powder-filled bowls, glades, and après bars. Each photographer will create a montage of the best images from the three days and their slide shows will be shown in front of a live audience on January 19, at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. The slideshows will be judged by a panel of industry professionals with an award of $9,000 and the title of “King of Storms” up for grabs.

Tickets for the ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Photo Challenge Presented by GORE-TEX® products are $20 and are available at any Whistler Blackcomb Guest Relations location or by calling 1-800-766-0449. Doors open at 7pm and the slideshows start at 8pm.

Photo by Robin O'Neill. O'Neill won last year's Deep Winter contest.

This year’s contenders are:

• Reuben Krabbe – A Whistler local, Reuben placed third in last year’s competition, and won the Deep Summer Photo Challenge in 2012.

• Adam Clark – Based out of Salt Lake City, Adam is an extremely talented ski photographer whose work has been published in major magazines around the world.

• Russell Dalby –Whistler local since 1997, Russell is a staff photographer for King Snow Magazine and Monster Energy.

• Mike Helfrich – A progressive snowboard photographer based in Whistler, Mike has worked with a number of publications including Snowboard Canada Magazine.

• Nic Alegre – 2012 finalist in The North Face/TGR Guts for Glory Photo Contest, and featured photographer in the 2012 World Photography Open, Nic has had work published in a variety of publications from Snowboard Magazine to the New York Times.

• Chris Christie – A Squamish-based action photographer, Chris has done work for a wide variety of editorial, and advertising clients worldwide and has extensive experience capturing the shot in hard to reach places.

“I'm eagerly looking forward to the competition; it offers such a concentrated mix of creativity, skiing, and culture,” says Deep Winter competitor and photographer, Reuben Krabbe. “Deep Winter has been a major catalyst for the craft of ski and snowboard photography over the last several years and the highlight is always seeing how differently the same conditions and terrain can be interpreted.”

Individuals not able to attend the ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Photo Challenge Presented by GORE-TEX® products in person can still take part in the event through the People’s Choice Award. Each photographer will select three photographs taken during the competition to go online where everyone will be able to vote for their favorite. The most popular photographer will take home a heli-ski experience from Whistler Heli-Skiing. Tickets for the ARC’TERYX Deep Winter Photo Challenge Presented by GORE-TEX® products are $20 and are available at any Whistler Blackcomb Guest Relations location or by calling 1-800-766-0449. Doors open at 7pm and the slideshows start at 8pm.

To connect with the Deep Winter Photo Challenge online and for a chance to receive tickets, check out Whistler Blackcomb’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/whistlerblackcomb and follow @WhistlerBlckcmb on Twitter or @whistlerblackcomb on Instagram - #deepwinter.

The Deep Winter Photo Challenge is presented by ARC’TERYX, GORE-TEX®, and Whistler Blackcomb. Additional event partners include Kokanee, Go Pro, Smirnoff, the Whistler Question, Atomic, and Mountain FM.