Some days skiing—especially resort skiing—seems to have no more connection to the raw mountain than a Carnival cruise ship has to the sea. If you snap into your bindings in hopes of engaging nature, you will be disappointed. The hills are mostly manicured and groomed, rendered comfortable and convenient and predictable. Most folks like it that way: if you’re spending a couple thousand dollars on a much-anticipated vacation, you want to be able to count on snow and a run you can safely negotiate. And speedy chairlifts. You know you like speedy and reliable chairlifts.
Still, there is a nostalgia (even you never lived then) for skiing when it was young. Los Angeles’ Duncan Miller Gallery plays to that longing with a show of the photography of the late Ray Atkeson.
Born in 1907, Atkeson was a pioneering action photographer, shooting skiers at American slopes when those destinations were simple and the amenities were crude by today’s standards. As skichannel.com’s Justin Keppler points out, Atkeson did more than just capture the sport. He also did a lot to popularize it: “His use of space and details, such as ski and boot tracks, exposed the mass public to the sport of skiing in a way that communicated the incomparable sensation of being amongst these pristine natural environments.”
Sadly, this is late notice of the show. It closes March 17. If you’re in LA over St. Paddy’s Day, get over there. If not, check out the gallery’s web site.
Ray Atkeson photo of Mt. Baker, Washington, 1949
