The 2013 edition of Click on the Mountain was simply epic! In the center of Courmayeur on Saturday 2nd March, the winners of the fifth edition of the prestigious photo contest were crowned with a huge celebration in perfect Italian style. Congratulations go out to Richard Felderer (ITA), Giuliano Bordoni, Paolo Marazzi and Jacopo Toma in – the winning team of COTM 2013.

Courmayeur, March 2 2013; At the foot of Mont Blanc since early Friday afternoon, 12 large photo prints have been displaying the fine work of the 4 international invited teams – displaying their different styles of photos and depicting the action and emotions of their riders. A large audience gathered for the price-giving to crown the victors and start the weekend of celebrations.

The judges painstakingly studied the submission for 3 hours in the Museum of “Guide Alpine Courmayeur” to ascertain the winner. It was not a simple task for the experts who all know the area well coming from the ski resort, advertising and tourist board of Courmayeur. In addition, 4 online judges, all experts in skiing or snowboarding, were judging in front of their computer screens from their office all around the Alps. The teams submitted 20 images and were asked to show the full potential of the Courmayeur ski area for every type of winter-sports enthusiast.

Saturday at 6 pm, a picture-perfect sunset on Mont Blanc set the background for the DJ set and typical Italian aperitif; white wine, fondue and prosciutto. The starting pistol to celebrate freeride photography was fired and the festivities ensued. Photography fans, the Aosta and Mont Blanc freeride scene as well as curious onlookers joined the big gathering.

The spectacle commenced on the big screen, an amazing video filmed and edited by Sean Balmer, gave an insight to the 72 hours of the contest. The time had come for the teams slideshows: Alessandro Belluscio (ITA), Richard Felderer (ITA), Louis Garnier (FRA) and finally Roman Lachner (GER) showed their work after shortly introducing their ideas & team riders.

Different teams, different photographers and different points of view made for an eclectic mix of photos. While each photographer focused on the amazing landscape around Mont Blanc and the freeride possibilities it offers, everybody comes from different background, everybody had a different approach, and the final submissions highlighted the variety of styles.

The four slideshows were highly acclaimed by the spectators, and after a short explanation by the judges, the winning team was announced:

Photographer Richard Felderer with riders Giuliano Bordoni, Paolo Marazzi and Jacopo Thomain was crowned winner of Click on the Mountain 2013.

“I had a call with Giuliano Bordoni the week before we came here, and asked him what he thought of the idea to stay overnight on the glacier of Mont Blanc. He and the other guys were immediately in – so we did it. It wasn’t simple, we had -20°C up there in the night, but we put all our effort into shooting. We had really connecting moments during that action, we spoke about our lives and ideas for life – something you don’t do in everyday situations, but that’s what the mountain may give you. Our friendship grew stronger in those 24 hours. I’m happy that the judges appreciate the effort, and obviously the photos as well!” – said Richard Felderer.

Party on! – was the unanimous mantra after price-giving and the celebration went on under the sky of Courmayeur.

All the teams slideshows can be found online:
Alo Belluscio (ITA)
Richard Felderer (ITA)
Louis Garnier (FRA)
Roman Lachner (GER)