Shooting while skiing

Gary from Seattle wrote:

I shoot backcountry skiing but only a few times a year. I tend to carry my camera and shoot on good weather days in the most spectacular skiing terrain. Mostly though, the camera is in my pack, but I bring it out for one or two runs and ski with it - usually the EM-1 I and 12-40, but sometimes also the 8mm FE. For those runs I carry the camera chest-mounted in a Lowepro Toploader bag. I don't shoot on a bunch of runs because shooting is rather disruptive to the day - much as it is when done too much in hiking. I am selective. On the days I carry the camera it will spend much of the time in the pack.

Shooting on lifts, I would not likely do, but something like helicopter skiing would be different. So, that is what I would do. I would just pick a run or two with good light to have the camera available even if just shooting your kids. But I wouldn't feel like I had to document every run or every day I skied. The 12-40 is a great focal length for most skiing shots. Medium to long telephotos are problematic as you have to orchestrate what the subject is to do to get the backdrop you want. The process with a long lens is tedious.

Good point on just picking a run to take some shots with the kids and keeping it packed for the rest of the time. Days riding lifts with the kids tend to be longer and have more time to just ski and not shoot. Days in the backcountry are often just quick after-work missions when I'd want to prioritize my 1-2 quick runs but be able to pull a P&S out of my pocket quickly if the scene presented itself.