Intro Kade Krichko Words and Photos Chad Sayers on a rock in the Goyko Valley, high in the ca-thedral of the Himalayas, Chad Sayers knew he was in the right place. Fresh out of high school, he’d traveled with a friend to Nepal, camera in hand. It was there, pointing his Nikon F90X at the tallest peaks on Earth that he considered the possibilities behind the lens, dream-ing of a life as a National Geographic photographer. Back in Vernon, BC, a few months later, he started to put that plan into action. He thought about college photography programs, and even began filling out an application for the former Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, BC. But the mountains intervened once again. Sayers had been gaining momentum as a freeskier across Canada. He moved to Whistler and competed in continental contests before earning a spot on the inaugural Freeride World Tour. Ski-ing took center stage. His Western application, on the other hand, stayed in Vernon, unfinished. Yet as Sayers transitioned away from competitions and em-barked on ski expeditions to some of the farthest reaches of the globe, his camera, his “one true love,” always came with him. Sayers realized he could use his skiing to travel and take photos—on his terms. Staying true to the darkrooms and light boards of his adolescence, Sayers continued to shoot film in an increasingly digital world. He says he felt a strong passion for connection, and forced himself to slow down and be in the moment with his experiences as he traversed the globe. At the end of every trip, Sayers would get his film developed, learning through trial and error, diligently adding slide after slide to his light board. He says the process helped him im-prove the way he skied in front of the lens as well, teaching him the intricacies of light and composition, and where he needed to be as an athlete in the frame. Now, after nearly 25 years of traveling and skiing professionally, those slides have grown into a robust collection, creating a portrait of a man who has navi-gated life—in all its joy, loss, curiosity, pain and beauty—both in front of and behind the lens. This year, Sayers published his photographs and some of his best ski imagery in a coffee-table book, Overexposure: A Story About a Skier . In the spirit of its release, here’s a collection of photographic vignettes through the eyes and into the soul of skiing’s modern journeyman. PERCHED A Skier’s Eye 063
The Ski Journal Volume 15, Issue 3: Page 63
