{"id":1795146,"date":"2026-02-26T19:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T16:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795146"},"modified":"2026-02-26T19:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T16:33:55","slug":"the-evolution-of-alta-ski-areas-powder-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795146","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Alta Ski Area\u2019s Powder Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Steve Garrett, Scottie Strand, and Sim\u00f2n at the Old Watson\u2019s contemplating a huge Watsonburger, 1984. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Alta Ski Area in Utah is the third-highest snowfall ski resort in the United States, with an annual snowfall of 540 inches. <\/b>With Alta\u2019s impressive powder precedents, it\u2019s no surprise it produces phenomenal powder photos. Inevitably, the process and products of the photography that takes place in Alta have evolved over the years. One of Alta\u2019s most notorious powder photographers, Lee Cohen<\/a>, has been in the industry for nearly forty years. Through his impressive portfolio of Alta over the years, and a one-on-one interview with Cohen, we explore\u00a0the\u00a0transformation of\u00a0Alta\u2019s powder photography over\u00a0the\u00a0last four decades.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 1980s<\/h2>\n

The 1980s were a thrilling decade for Alta. <\/strong>Five out of the ten years of the 1980s received a higher annual snowfall than the present average as reported by Free the Powder<\/a>. Although Cohen was new to the photography scene, his photos were as impressive as ever.<\/p>\n

Cohen got his start in the photography field by shooting pictures of his friends skiing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe were complete total ski bums,\u201d Cohen said. \u201c<\/span>Back in the early 1980s, my rent was $130 a month, my season pass was $200 and all you had to do was get to the ski hill every day. It was a cheap existence and it was totally viable.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

1985\u2019s ski season at Alta did not disappoint.<\/strong> With 599 inches of snow throughout the season, Cohen was able to capture the first photos of his career.<\/p>\n

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Mark Chilcutt, at the end of daylight on West Rustler after getting permission from his mom to play hooky from high school 12\/11\/1985. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On December 11 of 1985, Cohen captured a scenic action shot of Mark Chilcutt.<\/strong> Because film photography was the norm in the 80s, the familiar, natural vintage tint on the photo captured a sense of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

Two years later in 1987, Cohen captured a shot of Steve Garrett. <\/strong>With Alta bringing 410.2 inches of snow in 1987, Garrett was consumed in powder.<\/p>\n

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Steve Garrett AKA grandpa, antiquity, relic, ancient in deep on High Greeley 1987. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cohen\u2019s photography can be contrasted throughout his career.<\/strong> In the 80\u2019s alone, he presents a scenic, vibrant photo that displays Alta\u2019s physical features. On the other hand, the other photo\u2019s monochromatic nature exhibits Alta\u2019s renowned powder reputation.<\/p>\n

The 1990s<\/h2>\n

The 1990s brought peak powder to Alta.<\/strong> Not only did six out of the ten years top the present average in terms of annual snowfall, but the highest annual snowfall recorded took place in 1995 (745.4 inches). Expectedly, the intense snow brought intense skiers.<\/p>\n

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\u201c<\/span>Back then pro skiing was in its infancy, it was nothing like nowadays where there\u2019s a whole substrate of people who exist off of the ski industry,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cBack then it was mostly just ski bums. So many skiers weren\u2019t sponsored all over the place like now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to Cohen, as his career progressed, so did people\u2019s skiing abilities.<\/strong> \u201cIt seems like a natural progression because all that was developing at the same time I was developing as a photographer,\u201d Cohen said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gordy Peifer, undisputed LCC King of Air pre-Jamie Pierre sending it on High Greeley, 1993. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among these distinctly positioned photographs is Cohen\u2019s 1993 pictures with Gordy Peifer. <\/strong>This shoot revealed the exceptional landscape Cohen had chosen to capture.<\/p>\n

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The legend Jim Jack back in his Alta days 1995. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jim Jack\u2019s photo is a distinct one too, as the action shot exhibits the powder, his skiing abilities, and the terrain.<\/strong> Similar to the 80s, Cohen\u2019s shoot with Jim Jack is masked by the intimate colors that overrode the sequence of pictures.<\/p>\n

When asked about the evolution he had experienced in the powder photography industry, Cohen explained:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cI think the general principles are the same, but the equipment has changed a lot. The first autofocus equipment came, which was like the first development in the late 90s. That really created a lot of opportunities for photographers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The 2000s<\/h2>\n

With the new millennium in full swing, new advancements in technology were benefiting the photography field. <\/strong>Additionally, Alta\u2019s snowfall was still impressively consistent. Cohen utilized this to capture some outstanding photos to kick off the new century.<\/p>\n

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Dave McReynolds going deep on the Baldy Shoulder 2000. This pic made the cover of Powder Magazine. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cohen\u2019s pictures of Dave McReynolds were featured in Powder Magazine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Cohen\u2019s working atmosphere was perfectly exhibited through this picture of McReynolds, as the powder is devouring him.<\/p>\n

Jamie Pierre styling a big air in Glory Hole on February 8, 2008. He lapped it a few times, just another day in the office. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Later in the decade, Cohen flaunted Alta\u2019s geography.<\/strong> His photos of Jamie Pierre may not highlight the powder aspect of Alta, but it highlights the passionate skiers the powder attracted.<\/p>\n

2000s technology introduced the start of portable cameras, such as the J-SH04 which came out in 2000, and the mobile phone with a built-in camera.<\/strong> Although it was not super significant yet, the advancing adaptability of mobile phones was proven to be slowly progressing over time. Additionally, in 2003, digital cameras were outselling film cameras. This was a major adjustment for the powder photography industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is just insane how crisp [digital cameras] are,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cThere are a couple of things about digital that I think are not as good as film, but overall, I think it\u2019s superior and really made it a lot easier. The biggest thing about shooting digitally is that you can go home and process again, whereas in the old film days you shot it, you got it, and that was what you got.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2010s<\/h2>\n

Even though the 2010s brought the lowest annual snowfall since 1944 of 323.5 inches in 2015, the decade did not disappoint in terms of photography.<\/strong> Again, Cohen took advantage of Alta\u2019s landscape when shooting with Tyler Peterson in 2012.<\/p>\n

Tyler Peterson styling the mute grab in the Alta side-country on March 20, 2012. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, compared to the 80s and 90s, the 2010s didn\u2019t meet snowfall expectations. <\/strong>Still, don\u2019t let the 491 inches of powder fool you. There were still several opportunities for powder shoots even if the 2010s weren\u2019t dumping 700 inches of snow like the 80s and 90s.<\/p>\n

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Caroline Gleich, pigtails flying in North Rustler during a classic Alta storm January 29, 2013. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The 2020s<\/h2>\n

So far, the 2020s have brought decent snowfall to Alta.<\/strong> Luckily, the snowfall didn\u2019t go to waste, as Cohen explains the minuscule impact that COVID-19 had on his photography. \u201cThe only thing it altered was ski areas shut down and that was it. All the ski areas in Utah closed, except Alta allowed people to hike, so I was able to go and shoot a few pictures. It didn\u2019t affect the process at all, it just kinda threw a kink in the program,\u201d Cohen said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tyler Peterson in the best snow of the season on January 10, 2020. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the technological advancements present in the 2020s, photoshoots like Cohen\u2019s with Peterson could focus on several aspects with new clarity including lighting, powder, atmosphere, and the environment. <\/strong>Cohen is confident in the possibilities and potential of the powder photography industry stating:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI guess I\u2019m kinda known for close-up pow shots cause I like to catch the action. To some people all these powder shots\u2014you have seen one you have seen them all\u2014they all look the same. But to me, there\u2019s a lot of nuance and difference between them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Sam Cohen welcoming Spring, March 21, 2021. | Photo: Lee Cohen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most recently, Cohen captured shots with his son, Sam.<\/strong> This image sums up Alta\u2019s most prized feature: powder.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in recent years climate change has been an arising threat to snowfall.<\/strong> The irregularity in climate can present uncertainty about the future of powder photography. \u201cR<\/span>ight now it seems to be warming up and not snowing as much as it used to, but I wouldn\u2019t make any huge generalization that it\u2019s not gonna snow anymore. I believe in climate change, man is definitely messing up the planet, but I\u2019d like to think that Mother Nature still holds the trump card, she can overrule and make it start dumping any time she wants.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Cohen predicts a more widespread appeal of powder photography saying, <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople love shooting pictures and it seems like people love getting pictures of themselves now more than ever,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cYou know, with iPhones and everything, it\u2019s a lot easier for everyone to have fancy cameras. I think that powder photography will continue on forever, as long as there\u2019s still skiing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Steve Garrett, Scottie Strand, and Sim\u00f2n at the Old Watson\u2019s contemplating a huge Watsonburger, 1984. | Photo: Lee Cohen Alta Ski Area in Utah is the third-highest snowfall ski resort in the United States, with an annual snowfall of 540 inches. With Alta\u2019s impressive powder precedents, it\u2019s no surprise it produces phenomenal powder photos. Inevitably, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1795146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1795146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1795146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1795146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1795146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}