Damian Cromwell Photography

Switzerland Epicness

2012-02-06T14:20:00.002-08:00

Once again we find ourselves in the mecca of skiing, Switzerland.

Currently in Zinal and Grimentz, wallowing in deep stable snow, blue sky, chocolate, cheese, and high alpine cabins. Wow.

Can't get enough.

SkiJournal-Volume5Number3

2012-01-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

The always beautiful SkiJournal has recently released a new issue containing a couple of projects we worked on last season. Buy it, subscribe to it....

Whitecap Alpine January 2012

2012-01-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Just got back from another epic time at Whitecap Alpine.

Heli access ski touring at it's finest.

Big thanks to the Andrews family for the days of cold smoke and warm hospitality.

Get the boards ready, winter is coming!!

2011-10-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

Le Chable Switzerland

2011-05-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Suzie, Sasha and I decided to make the move to beautiful Switzerland for the summer months.

The valley and surrounding areas are breathtaking, and we've already been lucky with the weather enabling us to get out on the bikes and explore some of our new favourite trails.

Pantheon Heli

2011-03-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Halfway through a week at Bella Coola Helisports, Pantheon Heli.

Flying around the giant Mount Waddington group, skiing lines that would typically never get hit, except for in the conditions as what we have this winter.

Our guide Jia Condon, winning.

My Dad

2011-03-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

My Dad is the reason I started skiing.

Thinking of how lucky I am for that, as I now sit here at a heli lodge skiing deep powder. Seems like yesterday when he first took me up to Whistler and Hemlock for the first dose of my lifelong addiction.

Sending my Dad some good energy today as he deals with some heart bullshit. I know you are gonna kick some ass.

Much love.

Engelberg Schussing

2011-02-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

So after Trent was done shopping in St.Moritz....

.... we decided it was time to go visit Engelberg. Home of classic lines such as the Galtiberg, Laub, Steinberg, and home to many great friends.

Looking down the Laub

Trent loves to carve on many different mediums. Chalk, air, and electrobike....

Schussing the Laub

Huge thanks to Maria Ferretti for being such a great host.

I hope you get some snow your way soon.

Switzerland Snow Hunt

2011-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Eleven days into our trip to gorgeous Switzerland searching for snow towards a piece for TheSkiJournal.

First to Grimentz, Zinal, and now here staying at the Hotel Schweizerhof in sunny St. Moritz where it hasn't snowed in a month. This area is so unbelievably huge in scale, that there is actually still fresh('ish) turns to be had. The sunsets, food, hospitality, and views are unbeatable.

The forecast is for snow on Sunday.....

Chamonix

2011-02-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Arrived into Chamonix last night with writer Mike Berard, and skiers Dan Treadway and Bryce Phillips.

Low tide on the snow levels here, but still decided to make it up and over the breathtaking Aguille Du Midi for a run down the never ending Valle Blanche.

Chamonix is a magical, historical, inspiring, intimidating place that all skiers must visit at some point in their lives.

Great to feel alive in the Alps.

Retallack with Phil

2011-01-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

Swiss super athlete Phil Meier came over for a visit to check out the reports of deepness that he was hearing overseas.

We spent a few days shooting on Whistler Blackcomb, before heading to the best catskiing operation on earth, RETALLACK!

Thanks to the incredible staff at Retallack once again for making that place so special. You guys and gals rule.

Hope to make it back asap....

Fall Biking Days

2010-09-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to embrace the month of September as one of the best times of the year here in Squamish. Tacky trails, less people on them, and favourable riding temps are a recipe for good times. Snuck out today with Trent and Kelly to savour one of the last September days of 2010.

Tofino

2010-09-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Snuck over to Tofino last weekend with family and friends, rented a shack on Chesterman, ate amazing food and wine (oxtail, no biggie, thanks Mike!), and got to see the sun shine for four days straight which might be a record for Tofino.

$50 a glass? Sure why not.

Thanks for the photo Mike!

Stick in Arm

2010-08-31T15:29:00.001-07:00

Went biking last week and had a small piece of forest embedded deep into my bicep. Luckily Dr.Clarke is as good at slicing friends open and removing sticks, as he is at building mountain bike trails.

Bravoski Cover Time Again

2010-06-07T17:51:00.001-07:00

!!!!!Futabasha Super Mook!!!!!!

Still don't know what that means, but it is on the masthead of the magazine. Sounds really rad though when you say it fast.

This shot is of Dan Treadway and Carlo Travarelli inside the Snowbird tram in Utah.

Tantalus

2010-04-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

JD Hare is a man on a mission. He had been looking at a couple of lines in the Tantalus Range for some time now, and with this winters thumping of snow, he figured they were good to go. Big mountain snowboard shred Joe Lax joined us, and we flew into the luxurious ACC Jim Haberl Hut for three days of adventure.

A couple of first descents went down in a matter of 24hours. One off of Alpha (named Red Lobster Dine and Dash), and one off the west side of Tantalus (ending in a three stage rappel exit, named Middle Earth). Both epics.

Here are a few teasers of what went down. Huge thanks to Patagonia for making this trip happen. Stay tuned to their Tin Shed for a slideshow and commentary of what and how it all went down.

Duffey Tour

2010-04-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we visited the Duffey for a walkabout.

Up Joffre Lakes, over the Matier Glacier, and down Anniversary Glacier exiting Cerise Creek. Pretty sure we didn't need to be roped up with the four meter base up there. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Retallack Film

2010-03-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just got some film back from the Orage Retallack shoot.......

Orage Shoot at Retallack

2010-03-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Over at Retallack with team Orage for a few days of shooting.

JP Auclair, Charley Ager, and Michelle Parker are here enjoying the pow and hospitality that make this place the best catski operation in B.C.

JP naps while Charley brings up the rear

JP apre nap

Kauai Family Photos....

2010-03-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

One week back from Kauai and just got the Hassy film from the lab.

As you can tell by the images, I am in love with my family, and the island of Kauai.

We are back home and it is full winter again. Time to hit the hills. Game on.

Stoked.

Olympics!#@%Yeah!

2010-02-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

The opening ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are tonight, kicking off two weeks of winter sporting competition. Exciting for some involved, painful for a lot of people who live in the area.

Personally, we have decided to escape to a place where there will be no road closures, overpriced hype, and 'security threats'.

A little piece of paradise here in Kauai.

Interior B.C. Road Trip

2010-02-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we took a road trip to the interior of B.C. hitting Revelstoke, Nelson, and Rossland with good friend, ski shredder/firefighter Trent Scarlett.

Just recently got some film back from the Hasselblad. Here's some samplers for now.....

Road trip Jetta

Sundog groomer Revy

Red Mountain mellow

Whitewater apre

Big thanks to Trent behind the wheel of the TDI, and our good friends in the interior that we dont get to see enough of.

Next update... Kauai.......

New Years Day Whistler Mountain

2010-01-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

New Years Day has always been one of the better days to be on the hill.

The bar stars are always slow to get up, and the lift lines are typically minimal.

It was a beautiful west coast winter day, and even though the alpine didn't open, the t-bars did, allowing for some stormy runs towards Harmony chair.

Here are some sneak peeks from the iphone.

biggest line of the day, not bad.

coastal goodness

the crew

Duffey Day

2009-12-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

Headed up the Duffey for a mellow day of ski touring. No camera except for the trusty iphone. We didn't cross paths with anyone else all day, always refreshing.

Here's some pics from my phone....

Bravoski Cover Time

2009-12-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Another fun shot from our time in Norway with TJ Schiller has made it onto the cover of our favorite Japanese ski magazine, Bravoski.

Also........ while we are on the topic of TJ and Norway, we might as well take a look at his Dragon ad that we took at the same event.

Good times for sure.

Skijoring in Norway

2009-11-22T21:07:00.001-08:00

Last April TJSchiller invited me to take part as Team Canada's photographer at the 2009 JOSS. This years two week event took place in both Norway and Sweden.

Click on the link for an edit from one of the creative days in Trysil Norway.

http://www.orage.com/fw09/blog/view/356

Stay tuned for a full trip report from the event, including the images that took top spot in a couple of the judged categories from the competition.

SKIING Magazine Cabin Story

2009-11-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Last winter I was lucky enough to hook up with good friend Feet Banks to work on a story for Skiing Magazine. Skiings November issue has the 8 page story featuring a certain secret cabin, situated somewhere in B.C............

Big thanks to the fine gents who invited us up to their special oasis in the mountains, and to Feet for his words.

Ski Canada Cover

2009-11-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Always a nice way to start the season of ski print media off.

This cover image is of Phil Meier, taken on our very first run of our Switzerland trip last January. Straight off the backside of the incredible Mont Fort.

Thanks to Phil for once again welcoming us to his home resort of Verbier, and a special thank you to our friends at Swiss Tourism for their help in making this trip happen.

Hunting Season!!!

2009-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow I finally found myself lucky enough to be visiting Kenora Ontario during hunting season.

One airplane ride from Toronto, a drive from Winnepeg, and a boat ride in the dark will get you to an amazing place. The Treadway Trapping Cabin.

Under the enthusiastic guidance of Dan, his father Tim Treadway, and Nate Dog.... Cromwell went shooting.

Like fashionable orange ninjas, we tracked moose through the forest, we blasted at ducks in flight and pulled fish from the lake. Awesome times had by all humans involved.

I have already invited myself back for next years camp. Watch out deer, this year was only a warning.

Thanks Dan.

Dan lining up dinner

Downtime

Timmy collecting firewood

Cayley and Dan looking for ducks

Victory

Dockside.

Thanks Dan!

Wedding Bells

2009-10-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

After a long break in postings on this blog, due to an extended fun, hot, incredible summer... I'm back! Sorry people.

Most recently I had the fortune to visit Toronto to take part in, and photograph Gareth and Joelle's wedding.

Hands down, one of the best weddings we have been to. I don't care what people say, 'T-Dot' aint so bad.

Minor Surgery Today

2009-06-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

Finally it was my turn to meet the legendary surgeon, Dr. J.P. McConkey. The doctor who has worked on countless knees over the years had booked me in for a scope and a clean up of my old man meniscus. He also took a look at my ACL while he was in there, and confirmed his thoughts that it too is torn. Great, maybe we can deal with that some other time...

It's always fun to try and fight the anesthetics they give you, but I only lasted a second before I woke up and the whole operation was over. Damn they got some powerful stuff.

Thanks to all the staff at the Squamish General Hospital.

inside my knee

minor leakage after I got home. oopsy.

One Month for Sasha

2009-06-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sasha Cromwell has achieved the one month mark. Nice work kid!

Below is a bit of a timeline of what the little man's been up to.....

Suzie 7 months pregnant, looking for some snorkeling in Kauai.

Suzie at Porteau Cove 5 days before Sasha was born

Suzie and Sasha seconds after birth

First beer with uncle Jonesy

They'll let anyone have a baby and leave the hospital with it.

Lily Treadway and Sasha. He was all over her after the picture was taken.

First day at Brohm Lake

Trip Recap-Europe09

2009-05-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dan Treadway, Matty Richard, and myself visited Europe for what turned out to be a record breaking snow year over there. After spending New Years Eve in Amsterdam....

....we spent a few days in Verbier, hooking up with old friends and local rippers Phil Meier and Jonas Delogne. For those who haven't yet visited Verbier, it is one of the biggest baddass ski playgrounds out there. We always seem to find new lines each time we visit and explore more of the huge area.

Dan Treadway, first run of the trip off the back side of the Mont Fort.

Phil Meier, backflip mayor of Verbier.

After Verbier we left for another one of Switzerlands best ski towns, Engelberg. This was both Dan's and mine 5th visit there, and once again it didn't disappoint. It hadn't snowed for a few days prior to our arrival, but being such a big ski resort we still managed to find our share of good turns, and we were able to ski the classic Galtiberg run. A staggering amount of vertical off the side of the resort that runs you down a couloir dumping you into the end of the Engelberg valley.

The town of Engelberg hazed by valley cloud.

Dan Treadway enjoying his time in the Igludorf.

We had heard reports of Italy getting pounded with record breaking snowfall, so we hopped back on the Swiss rails, stopped in Verbier for the night, then rallied to Gressoney Italy in the morning. We were reunited with Phil and JD, treated to the best in Italian hospitality, alpine features, pillows to the valley, and the most snow the area had seen in 26 years. EPIC. Truly some of the best skiing the crew had ever experienced, and we were the only ones venturing off the groomers.

A view of some of the lines at Gressoney.

Matty Richard sending the smokey trails.

Keep your eyes on the various ski magazines as they start hitting the stands. I'm sure we will be seeing some epic Europe shots from all the photographers and athletes that were lucky enough to take part in the record breaking season over there.

Special thanks to Paddy Kaye and the crew at Rossignol, and for the kind people at SwissTourism for making this trip happen.

Blog Day One

2009-05-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Interweb,

This will be my blog. Blag? Blah?

My life is far too interesting, important, and inspiring for it to not to be part of cyberspace.

So here we go.....

I'd like first to start by introducing my son, Sasha Cromwell. Welcome to the reality we call life my new friend.

This next chapter in my world will be even more exciting, fun, challenging, and rewarding than anything I could have ever imagined.

Stay tuned.

Game on.