Guest photo editor: Kevin Hjertaas Ski Canada is trying something new this month by offering the guest photo editor’s chair to a man who’s normally in front of the camera lens, not behind it. For years, professional freeskier Kevin Hjertaas has been skiing for photographers, making his way into ski magazines, TV shows and ski films as well as onto freeskiing competition podiums. He’s also a coach, pro-patroller and soon-to-be mountain guide. "I find shooting pics is a really creative experience most of the time as opposed to filming, which is more athletic and you’re focused on shredding a whole line," says Banff-based Hjertaas. "With photos, you focus more on individual moments to make them look good. Once you’ve done it for a while, you can picture the shot as you’re skiing and hear the shutter. Though that’s not always a good thing. I’ve tripped over my own tips often thinking about the shot!" Although the one shot of Kevin here is from an adventure in India, his choices on these pages are from his favourite playgrounds in the B.C. and Alberta backcountry with photographer friends and other athletes, many of whom got their start with the country’s oldest freeski club, the Rocky Mountain Freeriders based out of Lake Louise. "Capturing big lines is really tough on-camera. Smaller features shoot better, but those big lines are what a lot of us in the Rockies spend all season waiting for," says Hjertaas. "It’s tough to capture the experience and the seriousness of them, but guys like Sangster, Cromwell and the others do a great job here."