2023 Calendar - Editorial Photography

January

Nightfall over Chamonix, France.
While Chamonix is known worldwide as the mecca of the alpine sports world, there’s something else you should know about this mountain town. The citizens of Chamonix in recent years have banded together, creating one of the world’s first renewable energy communities (REC), sometimes known as a co-op energy grid. (read the story here). Where does your energy come from, and how is your energy produced? Innovative projects like this should cause us to question the status quo when it comes to traditional dwelling-places and how they impact the environment. Change is never easy… it requires the grit and the grind of a
community to make lasting changes to pre-existing systems. But we only have one Earth. I’d say it’s worth the effort.

February

Anna Pfaff, “Winter Dance” WI5-6 M8, Hyalite Canyon, Montana.
In this image, Anna Pfaff gingerly reaches around an ice column, searching with her tool for the next move. The route “Winter Dance” was initially established in the winter of 1998 by famed American climbers Alex Lowe and Jim Earle. The first free ascent was established in 2007 by Whit Magro and Kris Erickson. In recent years, Jen Olson was the first female redpoint of the route, in 2013. Here, Anna Pfaff continues the longstanding tradition of women climbing this route, a history which dates back to Vera Wong (who climbed the third ascent with Lowe). Ice climbing, while inherently risky, is an engaging, challenging, and yet unspeakably beautiful form of art.

March

Cerro Castillo National Park, Patagonia, Chile.
The rocky ramparts of the Cerra Castillo National Park tower over smooth, windswept glaciers; a juxtaposition which borders on the extraterrestrial. Located deep in the Aysen region of Patagonia, this park was established in 1970. I was privileged enough to spend time in this wild, remote region of the planet, on a cold September ski trip. My fondest memory from my time here is of snow crystals whipping mercilessly through the air, pelting my face with shards of ice. We often forget the sheer power of nature, simply because our societies are too noisy. Life wasn’t meant to be perpetually loud and busy. These places never fail to bring me to a sense of stillness and calm, and the importance of that cannot be understated.

April

Vasu Sojitra, Bridger Bowl, Montana.
This image captured Vasu in a moment of utter presence. Skiing offers us humans a rare chance to feel light and free, leaving behind the weight of our daily affairs and tuning in to that childlike sense of play. At what point did grown-ups start to lose that youthful sense of wonder and curiosity? It is an odd conundrum that children want to grow up, while adults wish they were young again. Don’t forget to spend time each day doing things that bring a sparkle to your eye and a bounce to your step.

May

"Birds on a Wire" - Aiguille du Midi cable wires, Chamonix, France.
Something about this composition just spoke to me. The simplicity of the lines and the foggy white clouds with the monotone background evoke an emotion that I crave. Ravens are probably my favorite creatures. I see them everywhere, in all the great mountain ranges around the world. They are plain, simple, and yet far smarter than we could ever imagine. Every now and then, when I stare into their eyes, I feel as though I am looking back centuries into an old, wise, and welcoming soul.

June

Whit Magro “Virtual Reality” 5.13b, Wyoming.
Successful humans don’t excel every single day… sometimes showing up is the true secret to success. Day by day, without ceasing, they are training, practicing and pursuing mastery of their craft. The most important thing is to show up. Certain days might feel like failure, but marginal improvement on a daily basis gives birth to expertise. Documenting this is a photographer’s job, and it is this reality that I desire to capture through these raw and gritty images. We were made to show up and try hard, fail, and then try again. I see this virtue reflected in the daily lives of all the athletes I have the privilege of shooting, whether in their sport, their community, or their families. Challenge yourself, and push yourself to be a better human being than you were the day prior, even if the improvement is ever so slight. Success is not the finished product, but the journey.

July

Anne Gilbert Chase, Mount Alberta, Canada.
Awaiting first light while descending Mount Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies. This trip was the celebration of our first wedding anniversary, albeit an unorthodox one. The Northeast Ridge of Mt. Alberta is not only an epic Rockies route but is certainly one of the world’s great mountaineering classics. After a successful climb, we descended the Japanese Couloir, first climbed in 1925 by six Japanese and three Swiss climbers, all of whom were working as guides
in Canada. The story goes that the expedition departed Jasper with a whopping 35 men and 100 horses. The couloir is infamous for its questionable rock quality, consisting primarily of rotten sedimentary choss. Midway through our descent, Anne Gilbert and I rested for two hoursduring the darkest part of the night, and by the time the light dawned, the next rappel station was a mere 20m away. The striking mountain in the background is the North Twin, an iconic peak in its own right.

August

Summer thunderstorm over Bozeman, Montana.
In a powerful display of the force of nature, a summer thunderstorm brings much-needed precipitation to a region that only receives an average of 14 inches of rain annually. How might we restructure our lives to build a more harmonious existence with nature? Why is our society so dependent on over-consumption? Water is the greatest giver of life on this planet. How could we design dwelling-places that offer novel solutions to age-old water problems?

September

"Delhi" - New Delhi, India.
If I had one wish, it would be that each and every American citizen was given a passport at 18 years old and required to use it. Would that not create more empathy in this divisive, polarized world? While zipping around New Delhi in a tuk-tuk, one experiences an almost unimaginable blur of humanity. I hope this image transports you to that moment, evoking a feeling of awe at the diversity of humanity. Sit in the backseat with me, and absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of our beautiful shared existence. For me, travelling with my camera as a photojournalist has caused me to develop into an empath: a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual. If this calendar leaves you with only one lasting impression, I hope it would inspire you to get out, to see the world, and to form bonds with fellow human beings in foreign places.

October

Valley of Awahnee (uh-waa-nee), or Yosemite National Park, California.
The stunning vertical relief of the Valley of Awahnee, or Yosemite Valley. This native American name means “gaping mouth-like place”, and when you survey this cavernous expanse it is hard not to see where the origins of this word came from. According to native tradition, the powerful tribe of the Awahnechee had dwelt in this hidden valley from the dawn of time, led there by the Great Spirit from their birthplace in the far west. The valley walls functioned as ramparts for the fortress of the Awahnechee, and they were kept safe and secure from attack. Tragically, the California Gold Rush changed the lives of the the Awahnechee forever. The tribe suffered greatly for the sake of the almighty dollar, having their land stolen and being violently forced to relocate. It is both fascinating and disturbing to think that this extraordinary landscape which is taken for granted today was once the lifeblood of an entire people group. While the wrongs of
the past cannot be undone, it is important for us to honour the sacred nature of this land and recognize that within these granite walls still beats the heart of the Awahnechee tribe.

November

"Rotations" - Myllymaki Ranch,  Stanford, Montana.
As Kurt Myllymaki removes a temporary fence, his cows move from one pasture to another. In 2016, Kurt and his family transitioned their family’s operation outside of Stanford, Montana from conventional to regenerative agricultural practices, sparked by a five-acre cover crop experiment in partnership with the local NRCS field office. Aimed at reversing the effects of climate change on our soil, regenerative agriculture practices are intended to combat the the collective loss of much of the world’s fertile soil and biodiversity. According to soil scientists, within 50 years the world’s arable topsoil will have diminished so greatly that our civilization will literally not be able to produce the amount of food necessary to feed the world. As much as these stats can be daunting, stories like Kurt’s are a breath of fresh air. We need more Kurt Myllymakis. READ MORE HERE This three-part series: “Common Ground,” was written by Emily Stifler Wolfe for the Montana Free Press.

December

"Timeless" - Forrest Coots above the clouds in Chamonix, France.
Making an image that stands the test of time is the ultimate goal of any photographer… this is the frame that did it for me. In frame is Forrest Coots, prolific American free-skier and author of numerous first descents all over the globe, including Patagonia and Alaska. This shot required a total team effort, and Forrest pulled through magnificently, making my job as the photographer easy. The best frames always come at the end of the day, I’ve come to realize. Thankfully, Dave Reddick agreed with us and selected it as the opening spread in Powder Magazine’s 2015 photo annual. It’s not every day you get to ski above the clouds, and this moment is indelibly etched in my mind. A timeless day in paradise.