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In early December, I had been spending the fall at the beach in California where my wife is from. We just had an epic swell come through and I got the call from DCP that he was going for an early cat skiing trip to Retallack, B,C, and he needed me to come shoot. All I had to do was to fly to Belligham, WA, he’d grab my snow gear in Squamish, BC where we live and would pick me up. In less than 36 hours I traded my wet suit for waist deep snow. Photo: Phil Tifo
I started photography mainly because I liked it, but it also offer me more: it was my gateway to never return to a mundane suburbia in the Capital region of Canada, a place I had called “home” until then. I had tasted the good life in the mountains of British Columbia, where I had taken a “break” from college — “just for a year” back in ’98. After one of the biggest seasons in Whistler history for snowfall, the thought of going back to the flatlands of Quebec made me want to vomit. So I never left.
My buddies in Whistler we’re starting to appear in magaziness and I was basically like: “fuck working for someone — I want to be me!” So I went to photo school in Vancouver in 2000; I’d hitchhike to Whistler on the weekends to ride and shoot. During that winter I had my first published photo in Transworld Snowboarding. I was stoked! It was on! Out here in B.C. we use snowmobiles to access our powdery backcountry, and after I discovered the awesome expanse of my new office, I never looked back. I’m not interested on going on a jibbing rail trip to a city or snowboard park. I choose to only chase the best powder I can find and shoot with badass guys and girls that share the same love for the mountains.
This year will be my 15th year shooting snowboarding full time and it has taken me to some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world. If only one thing, I hope that my photography inspires anyone who loves adventure and the mountains to get out there and shred.
This selection of photos is from the past few years. I hope it stokes you out.
For more from Phil Tifo, check out his site. And be sure to follow him on Instagram.