2011 Banff Mountain Festival
Signature Image
Ryan Creary: Alex Girard backcountry skiing, Rogers Pass, B.C
Chosen from hundreds of images submitted every year, the annual Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival signature image represents the best in cultural, climbing, or mountain sports images from around the world. This year, we opened up our search to the public through a competition that was featured on our website, garnering close to 1000 images. We received a broad range of fabulous images — from ice climbing in the Alps, to sea kayaking in Alaska, and mountain biking in Bolivia.
This year, the 36th annual Festival, will be represented by Ryan Creary’s image: Alex Girard backcountry skiing.
Creary took this image during a day of touring with Alex Girard at Rogers Pass, British Columbia. Creary had worked with Girard on a few occasions prior to this day, and says, “it definitely makes it easier when you have worked with someone before, as both photographer and athlete are better able to collaborate for the shot.”
Images courtesy of Ryan Creary
Creary has spent endless hours riding and shooting in Rogers Pass over the years, and he was based out of nearby Revelstoke for three months this past winter to take advantage of an abundant snowfall year. Although Creary typically enjoys shooting on stormy days with moody light, on this particular day in late January, Creary and Girard were fortunate to have some blue sky — which is not usually the case at Rogers Pass due to the large number of storms and snowfall received each year. “Anytime there are interesting clouds I try to bring those into the image,” Creary says. “I often enjoy using a ‘from below angle’ when shooting snowsports, as it can help showcase the dynamic explosion of snow and skier.”
Creary is an internationally published editorial and commercial mountain sports photographer based out of Canmore, Alberta. Originally from New Brunswick, Creary moved to the Rockies in 1999 to follow his passion for the outdoors and photography. A professional photographer for the past 11 years, Creary is an avid participant in all that he shoots, and can be found alongside the athletes he works with documenting their adventures.
Recognized for his soulful imagery and unique perspectives, Creary’s work has graced many covers and been used by clients such as Explore, Outside, Men’s Journal, Powder, Bike, Alpinist, Patagonia, Ski Canada, Backcountry, and Outdoor Research.
Creary spends his personal time splitboarding, climbing, kayaking, and mountain biking — and, of course, planning his next photographic adventure.
View more of his work at ryancreary.com.
View Past Festival posters
Past Mountain Festival Signature Images
The signature image on a postcard.
