World Cup Beaver Creek 2011

This year I got the chance to attend an event that I have been meaning to go to for a long time, the World Cup ski races in Beaver Creek. Thanks to Derek for getting us some VIP passes. It goes without saying that I love skiing and photography, so this was a perfect opportunity to combined both. I own a Canon EF 70-200 f/4 L lens, but decided to see about renting something with a “bit” more reach for the event. Once again my friends at Pro Photo Rental came thru, they had a beautiful 400 f/2.8L IS in stock, and hooked me up quicker then Bode winning the men’s downhill. So my intention for a “bit” more reach turned into a whole lot more reach… I had never shot with a super long telephoto prime like this before and it definitely took some time to get comfortable with it. It was snowing all day so auto focus was pretty much out. After a while I did get better, but mostly came away with a new found respect for pro sports shooters.

Here are the shots that I managed to get focused. Again big thanks to Pro Photo Rental!