Outdoor photography has so many facets to it that it’s difficult to really see the great in the merely good. And, comparing seasons, summer is so much more vibrant, so many more colours, that remind you that you’re alive.

That’s what makes Arc’teryx’s Deep Winter competition so special – it literally whitewashes the palette with which the photographers use. When all you have to work with is snow, it forces the shooter to hone in on the sublime, and not just the OK shots.

Now in its 9th year, the Deep Winter Photo Challenge is where true shred heads can capture that moment, the one that made them move to a small little mountain town. The site itself says “When crippling winter storms hit a ski town, the townsfolk jump to their windows with excitement, anticipating and predicting the amount of snow that will be left behind to shred when the sun rises.  Plunk that storm on any city around the world and the news crews hit the streets just as they call in the National Guard. “

My dad always said “You don’t have to shovel rain”. When I was 12 and in charge of the driveway, this made sense. Now, living in a ski town, I know I’m not alone. Mountain communities are the only place in the world where you’ll see people genuinely smiling while it pours down rain (apart from major drought areas of course.) Rain down here means snow up there, the reason we moved here in the first place – or stuck around from the time we could do up our own ski boots.

6 competitors, this Saturday January 10th at the Fairmont Chateau, Whistler, will try for the $5000 grand prize. Just 72 hours is the timeslot for them to make a next level gallery for the judges (and the public, live from 8pm that evening) to decide who is the King/Queen of Storms. Tickets are available right here.

And hey – here’s an idea of the calibre. 2014 winner Zoya Lynch’s slideshow.