Kananaskis Country, Alberta

Snow. Ever-changing. Renewing. Purifying. Persistent. The Kananaskis region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains near Calgary is home to some of the most spectacular winter landscapes anywhere. Roughly six months long, winter is harsh and occasionally punctuated with a warm Chinook wind. It’s a time of tranquillity, renewal and incredible beauty.

Moist warm Pacific air moves through British Columbia before reaching the prairies, clashing with frigid arctic air near the continental divide west of the Kananaskis region. Massive amounts of snow accumulate in a snow zone about 35 kilometres south of Canmore along the Smith-Dorrien trunk road. Powerful forces of wind, temperature and gravity continuously change the condition of the snow. Because of this, the snow has many and varying characteristics and makes a fantastic photographic subject.

This research meditates on snow. The images depict the tranquillity of the season, the awesome power that shapes the land, and it offer a reflection about how snow improves an already dramatic landscape.

Why no people? Simply put, nature needs its quiet time. I’m simply visiting for a moment, and then I’m gone.

All images were taken in the Kananaskis region over the past 11 winters. Visit my other site, blackfrost.ca for a full suite of images.