Deep Winter, one of North America's premier events for winter sports photographers, is going on hiatus in 2020, confirmed event producer Whistler Blackcomb (WB). WB's communications director*, Marc Riddell, confirmed the news during a meeting with Pique editorial staff and new COO Geoff Buchheister last week, saying that, after almost a decade and a half, the event needs retooling.
"We've got to rethink it a little bit, reimagine it," Riddell said. "It's no surprise. I think the people that have been there know that it's changed a lot, so we're going to take that away in January and try to figure out how that looks going forward."
Deep Winter invites some of the world's top snowsport photographers to compile a five-minute slideshow, typically set to music, of images snapped in a 72-hour period in the mountains around Whistler. California-based photographer Ming T. Poon took home the $5,000 top prize at the 13th annual event, which was held in January at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
No event will be scheduled in its place, said Riddell, who added that the event has moved away from its original intent over the years. "We just felt the quality over the past few years wasn't necessarily in the spirit of how it started. We just want to take the time and take it away and then come up with a viable replacement for it that makes sense for our community and for our business."
Deep Summer, a similar event to Deep Winter intended for mountain bike photographers, will return as planned to next year's Crankworx festival in August.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Marc Riddell as Whistler Blackcomb's communications manager, not director.
Constellation Festival returning to Squamish this summer
The Squamish Constellation Festival has announced its return to Hendrickson Field, July 24 to 26.
"Excitement has been building for the 2020 festival since before the first one even wrapped," said co-founder and CEO Tamara Stanners in a release sent out Monday, Nov. 18.
This second Constellation festival promises 40 bands, mural painting, a songwriters' workshop, and more.
The inaugural festival was the largest zero-waste festival in B.C. and had a 94-per-cent waste-diversion rate, as certified by the Association for Whistler Area Residents for the Environment, according to the release, and this upcoming fest will aim for zero waste once more.
A limited number of early-bird weekend passes went on sale on Thursday, Nov. 21.
"For all those who enjoyed our 'local's presale' last year, we want to let you know how much we appreciate your early support. You showed us that we were on the right track—that Squamish really does love its festivals and we were right to believe you'd be there to support a new one," added Stanners.
Constellation was the first major music festival to be held in Squamish following the cancellation of The Squamish Valley Music Festival in 2016.
Visit constellationfest.ca for tickets and more information.
A version of this story originally appeared in The Squamish Chief on Nov. 18.
