During Session 2 of High Cascade, a group of aspiring photographers gathered at the glacier to hone their snowboard photography skills and learn from top professionals. High Cascade is renowned as one of the best places to capture professional snowboarders. Summer shredding on Mt.Hood brings out something special in all boarders and there was some crazy sessions happening all over the park. With guidance from experts like Andy Wright, Tim Zimmerman, and Darcy Bacha, these young photographers were able to capture some incredible moments. We asked each participant to choose their favorite photo and explain why it stood out to them.
Photographer: Adam Fenenga
Rider: Danny Davis
"Being from the midwest we don’t have big mountains or riding into the summer season like Hood does so it was special just being there. I love this shot because Danny has been one of my favorite riders ever since I started snowboarding. The mini pipe was pretty slow this day but Danny showed up and brought the energy. I really like the way I framed him in-between the rocks and having the pipe as a leading line right to him."
Photographer: Will Weisz
Rider: Max Warbington
" One photo that I really liked was the shot of Max Warbington on the rainbow rail. I was up here a little bit before the start of the session and happend to run in to max at the bottom of the mile while getting some photog laps in before the week. Since I'd been shooting at brainbowl a month or two earlier I said what's up and asked how long he'd be up here as I was shooting all week with the HCSC Photo workshop. He was going to be up for a while and said he was down to get a photo or two in. Later in the week I ran into him at the rainbow rail in FTC, I had been thinking a back blunt 270 would look sick on it and Max was super down to give it a couple of go's. He hiked it the first time and I wasn't super keen on my composition, so I asked if he could give it another go. When he was ready again I got in about a foot or two from the end of the rail, he dropped, and did a textbook back blunt 270, hopping me at the end of the rainbow. It was a quick two tires and then it was off to the mini pipe cause another session was goin down over there."
Photographer: Thomas Portet
Rider: Joey Fava
"On my last day I was trying to incorporate into my photos the cat sitting at the top of the park. I quickly noticed the tracks would provide some nice framing. As a fully committed photographer, I started contorting myself to lay inside the tracks and get that angle. It turned out this was not a very comfortable spot, but thankfully I had my tripod at hand and managed to get this shot of Joey Fava greasing a switch back lip 270."
Photographer: Leigh LaBrake
Rider: Ellie Weiler
"I had been working with Ellie to get her a shot on the rainbow. As a rider, rainbows are one of my favorite features, and as a photographer, I love shooting rails with my fish eye, and Ellie is an absolute sweatheart and boss, so this shoot was a dream. I had a great shot from another angle and then talking with Tim Zimmerman, we decided I was going to dig out a hole on the side of the jump next to the rail, lay down, and get a better angle. Each time I would quickly lay down, try to make sure the rest of my body was out of the shot while laying downhill and sideways and sliding, fully trusting Ellie without a doubt. Tim would be my extra set of eyes to let me know if I was clear to get up. Overall, I came out unscathed, with a close call with Miles Fallon, who didn't know I was down there when I popped up, and the shot came out pretty cool."
Photographer: CJ Hays
Rider: Kaden Rusinko
"IJune 27th, 2024. Timberline, Mt. Hood Oregon. It was our 5th day up on the Volcano shooting the Capita and Union teams with High Cascade. All week long, everyone was going big and grinding it out hard. But that day felt a little different. There was a buzz in the air. Every feature in the FTC park was getting sessioned on. Pro-riders and kid campers were lined up waiting to drop, people spectating and having lunch, photographers and filmers stacked up running shoulder to shoulder to get that close up shot. Chaos. I decided to try my luck and use my 100-400mm lens, turned uphill and started to hike towards the top of the park. I found myself on a pretty steep incline and started to kick my boots into the snow to make a platform to steady myself. As I watched each feature in the park and the little ecosystems that inhabited them, I found myself drawn to the C - Rail. It was right in the middle of the park. A challenging game of patience ensued, with me hunting for a window through the crowd and into the action. Enter Kaden Rusinko. As he entered my viewfinder, the world around him suddenly slowed down and he was locked in on the rail. A nose press back 360 out, and I caught him right in the middle of his rotation. I was probably one of the furthest angles shooting Kaden during this run, but I felt like I had the best seat in the house!"
Photographer: Gianna DiGiuseppe
Rider: Miles Fallon
"The vibes were high on a picture-perfect sunny day at Hood. With so many legends in the mini pipe at once, it was impossible not to have a good time. The speaker was blaring, and everyone was cheering, encouraging, and hyping each other up. Handplants were being thrown left and right, and no one wanted to leave. The phrase "hand on the deck or it doesn't count" could have easily been turned into a fun drinking game. Ski patrol was pushing up behind us, trying to wrangle everyone down the hill, but a few people couldn't resist squeezing in a few more turns. It was definitely an unforgettable day for the books."
Photographer: Ariana Sanchez
Rider: Austin Visintainer
"This is one of my favorite shots I captured during Session 2 at Photo Workshop. It was a cloudy day up on the volcano after two back-to-back warm and sunny days. The day started a bit slow, but eventually, a session started going down on this C-rail and crews were there to capture the action. Austin Vizz went for riding the inside paneling of this rail, and I loved seeing the reactions of those capturing content of this trick. Athletes, crews, and onlookers brought some high vibes to the gloomy day, and the good energy set the tone for this session and the rest of the day. I liked this shot in particular as it shows how many of these sessions go down. Someone is usually grabbing the photo, another taking the video, and of course, getting the cell phone shot for the gram. It was a fun moment to witness!"
Each photographers named is linked to their Instagram! Please reach out to them for photo opportunities or simply to nerd out on cameras & snowboarding. For aspiring photographers, be sure to sign up for next summers photo workshop!