Downhill Racer

THE DOWNHILL RACER
Wengen, Switzerland - 2016

Ever since my early career as a sports photographer, two annual international skiing events in Europe have had a visceral hold on my attention - the two iconic men’s downhill races - the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria and the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland.

The races - which are held in consecutive weeks in January - attract a huge number of spectators, many of whom walk high up the course to gain a vantage point. Whilst Kitzbuhel is undoubtedly the more glamorous of the two events - attracting over 100,000 visitors over the weekend, most of the crowd remain around the finishing bowl near the village, whereas in Wengen, the main spectator area is high up the mountain next to the Eiger. The higher the crowd and the more detached they are from permanent buildings, the greater the visual disconnect.

I saw an opportunity here to play with the triangles of black and white to create an overall image that is “otherworldly”. Sports occasions rarely look ethereal, but this image is hard to reconcile - it is simultaneously familiar and alien - unless of course you are Swiss and the Lauberhorn weekend is core to your culture. There must be over 10,000 people on the mountainside.

I have always known my preferred position on the side of the Lauberhorn course - one that found accord with my preconception that I needed a downhill racer in the image and an elevation that gave as much context as possible. I was fortunate that at the time of the race, the snow clouds were lifting up the valley and this allowed for further information in the background. There is a great deal going on in this image.
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