This year’s Photo Annual is all about escapism—away from ever-refreshing pow-shot feeds and into a celebration of the beauty and timelessness of our sport. To hone in on those enduring qualities, editor in chief Tyler Cohen explores the complete history of telemark and its unassailable link to backcountry skiing. From the turn’s origins in 1800s Norway to the explosion of the sport in the U.S. throughout the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, this story captures the people, gatherings and gear that shaped a culture and formed the style of skiing as we know it. And from Arctic Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to the gulfs and couloirs of Maine’s Mt. Katahdin, the Photo Annuals other features—and 22-page photo gallery—celebrate the light, shadow and beauty of sliding on snow.

THE 2019 PHOTO ANNUAL

PHOTO ANNUAL
It's time to take pause. In the age of ever-refreshing pow-shot feeds, this year's Photo Annual is the chance to become immersed in some of the best images out there. From riders threading couloirs to the beauty of a skintrack, we present photographic evidence of skiing and riding's timelessness. So grab a cup of coffee, take a seat and get to know some of winter's most renowned photographers and the ways in which they balance action, shadow and light—and maybe some powder, too.

THE TURN RETURNS
People say telemark is dead. But is it really possible to pronounce the extinction of a sport and a style? Telemark, after all, already faced its demise in the early 1900s before exploding in the U.S. in the '70s, '80s and '90s. And while today's alpine-touring gear has dealt a blow to that of the freeheel variety, cutting-edge telemark bindings and Olympic-focused efforts are injecting fresh energy into a sport that's flourished most brightly beyond the spotlight. This is the complete history of telemark and its unassailable link to backcountry skiing.

DEPOSITION

CONTRIBUTORS

PERSPECTIVE: FROM ON HIGH

EDITOR'S NOTE: THAT SLIDING FEELING

STRAIGHT LINES
Father/son bonding, playing hooky and the impact—or lack thereof—of a 2015 motorized-use ruling.

 

BLOWN IN

MOUNTAIN ACCOUNT: GAINS AND LOSSES

MOUNTAIN SKILLS: MAKE IT COUNT

WISDOM: AN UNINTENDED LEADER
After a climbing accident left Anna Soens partially paralyzed, she's reframing her big-mountain dreams and, through her Climb On Project, is bringing along athletes of all abilities.

GEARBOX
Dynafit unleashes the Hoji Pro Tour, the latest in helmet technology and six travel and camping essentials.

THE GREATEST MOUNTAIN
For East Coast photographer Jamie Walter, capturing the frigid beauty of night skiing on Maine's Mt. Katahdin has been a life-long dream. Last winter, he turned it into a reality.

THE ARCTIC STRAIGHT LINE
Five skiers-turned-sailors journey from northern Norway into the depths of the Arctic, battling swells, seasickness and 24-hour daylight along the way.

BLOWN OUT

LETTERS

TWO CALLS FOR TELE AND LYRICS GONE WRONG.

DEPTH: NOVEMBER IN THE CITY

LOCAL LEGEND: ACE KVALE

LAST COL: NORTH PALISADE'S U-NOTCH COULOIR

BIFF AMERICA: A REAL BENDER