I have sent some requests for comment on our recent poll, but as yet only Chris O’Connell has responded. I was going to go with some short quips, but his response is so thorough and accurate that I’d be doing it an injustice by only excerpting the juiciest bits. I’ll let him handle the introduction, enjoy:

Here goes…
So for a bit of background to start:  At SBC I work as Editor as well as Photo Editor and I have different approaches for each when I’m planning out the magazine as far as who gets play and who doesn’t.  Overall though, to unfortunately quote a moronic beer commercial, it’s all about balance.

Personally, I don’t get any pressure from the sales/promotions/money guys or the brands they deal with as far as editorial content goes.  I’m as free to feature TJ Schiller as I am my own brother.  But you have to be realistic about what your audience is going to want to read about.

The reason the big guys get so much coverage is because the content is easy to produce.  Let’s take Mr. Schiller for example – not to single him out but he’s a prominent Canadian rider and a good example of the opportunities available once you reach a certain level.  So, TJ rides for Coreupt, Nike 6.0, Dragon, Monster, Voleurz and probably some others that I’m missing (sue me).  Each one of those companies likely ensures that they get at least one big trip per winter with an athlete of TJ’s stature, and those trips are photographed, captured on video and written about by the cream of the ski industry crop.  This results in enough coverage to fill an entire issue.  So while you may think that there’s too much coverage of this athlete or that, truth is there’s probably a ton of leftover, quality stuff that never really sees the light of day.

Contrast that with your average up and comer, or even someone with low level hook ups.  Do these kids ever get to spend a day shooting with a professional level photographer or film crew?  They may have all the talent in the world but if they’re stuck in bum-fuck nowhere, with little ability to create quality content, it’s going to be tough slogging.

In this sense it does come down to who is supported by the large companies.   But, just because mag content is easy to produce doesn’t mean you should fill your entire volume with it.  It’s my job to know what’s going on in the sport and make the most of those trends.  If I see a kid out at a contest or in the park killing it, just because  he doesn’t have a sponsor doesn’t mean I’m not going to notice.  If he’s that good I might make a point of including him in a trip or shoot the following winter.  Magazines still have the ability to become trendsetters and should be opening up doors for the underappreciated, but again you need to strike that balance, because no one is going to want to read entire issues about skiers you’ve never heard of.

Here’s another thing:  you, me and the people reading this on brobomb are part of a super tiny demographic that for some reason can’t get enough of even the most minute of ski industry details.  The internet has allowed those of us who care enough to be saturated with the latest sponsor changes and edits coming in from all over the globe.  This group, while very well informed, is not representative of the overwhelming majority of skiers – both recreational and hardcore.  So while we might see it as a travesty that some Quebecer that can out-pretzel Wallisch isn’t in the new Level1 movie, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect that the ski media landscape – mags, production companies, and the manufacturers that pay their way – to move as quickly as the internet can.  It’s just not going to happen, especially in an industry that’s still so old fashioned and behind the times.

Ok, that was longer than I had anticipated and I could go on, but I gotta get this second issue out the door.  If the above was my editorially-based, diplomatic answer, below is my take as a photo editor:

If you don’t have good photos, you’re not getting any play.  You could have the best tricks and edits ever, but if you’re sending me shitty, out of focus, badly lit crap that you’ve pulled from your friends blog, it ain’t making the cut – there are just too many epic shots out there that already have a hard time finding a home in print.  This is why I have no problem bringing relatively unknowns on trips with me, we have to give some of these kids a real chance to make it even if their sponsors have their heads up their asses and won’t step up (*cough* Max Hill up until this year *cough*).