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How We Ski The Wasatch
Adventure photographer Jay Bayer share’s his top ten images from his years spent shooting his friends and family skiing and boarding in the Wasatch Range.
Photography by Jay Bayer
Photographer Jay Beyer has called the Wasatch Mountains home for the last 14 years. He moved there as a carpenter and it didn’t take long before the hammer was replaced by a Canon.
The last 10 years he has been traveling the world working full time as a photographer shooting skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fly fishing, mountain biking, climbing and trail running. He is grounded in Salt Lake by his amazing wife, Rachel, and his always-moving 13-year-old son, Eli. Here are 10 of his favorite photos from shooting his friends and family in the Wasatch Mountain Range.
I love this photo because it is my son. Eli has never minded having a camera shoved in his face for most of his life. Here he just wanted to make dad happy, and he did!
Caroline Gleich and I have been friends and working together for a long time. I’ve been lucky enough to watch her go through a natural transition from ski model to badass ski mountaineer. I probably laugh more while working with her than anybody. Here she is at home in the steeps of the Wasatch.
Carston Oliver and I have traveled all over the globe together. But few trips can compare to an amazing day in the Wasatch.
This is Cardiac Ridge, kind of a mini Alaska that doesn’t get skied very often here in the Wasatch. Some lines go seasons without getting touched. This line is one of the more exposed routes because you have to air into your line while your sluff is hitting you. Carston Oliver demonstrates how to do it correctly in this shot.
I met Eliel Hindert a long time ago on a lift at Alta. He was skiing, at the time in ultra baggy clothes and no poles. Now Eliel shoots video and skis professionally so I have traveled the world with him in front of my lens and working on shots together behind our lenses.
These days most of the athletes I work with in the snow world are younger than I am. This last spring as Forrest Shearer and I spent 2 weeks living together in a tent in Alaska I found out that he is actually older than I am. I love this shot because it reminds me of a wave crashing in the ocean so it's fitting that a snowboarder is making it.
I have worked with Chief Powderwhore, Noah Howell, longer than anybody else I ride with. He has been a companion on many trips over the years and a collection of my images wouldn’t be complete without a shot of him. This is one of my favorite shots of him and just a classic Wasatch powder shot.
DPS Skis founder Stephan Drake can not only make the best skis on the planet but also rip them better than most. I saw this shot and Steven got about 500 vert above me and straight-lined in to make an amazing cloud of awesomeness!
I love riding and shooting couloirs on stormy days and lucky for me Neil Provo does too. Neil is an explorer in both the snowboarding world and the fishing world. He and his brother are always up to check out something new and different where they or nobody has gone before.
Eric Balken is one of the happier people I have ever met. He also loves food and on the top of the food list is meat. He loves skiing and jumping off of most anything.