#WhistlerUnfiltered Behind the Photo: Snow Play
Posted by: Feet Banks
One of the fun aspects of #WhistlerUnfiltered is that some of Whistler’s resident pro photographers are also getting in on the action and tagging their images for our viewing pleasure. Turns out this fun ice hockey shot comes from local pro Matt Walker.
Ice hockey on a frozen lake is about as Canadian as it gets so we asked Matt for the story behind this Snow Play photo and here is what he had to say…
“A crappy day on the hill is better than a good day in the office… This is a common refrain amongst Whistler locals, but alas, I had slept in and missed my chance to get a few quick runs before settling in to my desk for some photo editing. As I toiled away in front of my rectangular electronic display I kept imagining all the thousands of people having an epic bluebird day up on Whistler and Blackcomb. Glancing out the window only made things worse.
By mid-afternoon cabin fever had just about driven me insane so I posted on Facebook that I really wanted to play some shinny – an impromptu ice hockey game named for the various cuts and bruises your shins sustain during a spirited session. Less than a minute later, a friend commented that she knew of a game down on Alta Lake and invited me to join.
I arrived at Lakeside Park to find a two-wheel drive Japanese tour van exceedingly stuck in the snowy parking lot. My desire to get my skates on and partake in Canada’s game was overruled by my sense of Canadian helpfulness and with myself behind the wheel and a motley crew of passers-by pushing we eventually freed the van from its ever-deepening trench.
The thankful crew handed me a bottle of Corona and I hustled down to the frozen lake to catch up with the game of shinny that was now in full swing. While lacing my skates I watched the sun throw its last rays over the sub-zero scene so I used my iPhone to take a few shots. I love how this photo shows the shredded texture of the naturally frozen shinny rink along with guys in toques wearing hockey gloves scrambling after a beat-up piece of frozen rubber. It’s such a classic Canadian pastime.
We played until it got too dark to see the puck but the smiles and laughter from the crew continued on in the twilight. You don’t always need to get up the hill to enjoy a glorious day in Whistler, you just need to get outside and play.”
– Matt Walker
Get lots of good info on ice skating in Whistler here and fans of #WhistlerUnfiltered should make sure to enter the contest for a shot at winning a trip for 4 to Whistler.
Article source: http://www.whistler.com/blog/post/2013/01/17/behind-photo-skate.aspx
