20th Annual Powder Awards Nominations: TGR Attacks the Fall Line

Todd, alongside athletes, accepting 19th Annual Powder Awards' Movie of the Year on behalf of TGR for Far Out. David Reddick Photo.

The nominees for the 20th Annual Powder Awards have just been announced and TGR is proud that many in the greater family are up for awards alongside other exceptional athletes and projects.

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The Powder Awards recognize outstanding athletes, cinematography, and movies in the ski and snowboard industries each year. For its 20th iteration, the Powder Awards will take place in Aspen on December 7th. The panel that votes on nominations consists of photographers, filmmakers, journalists, and professional athletes.

The trifecta of Todd Ligare, Tim Durtschi, and Hadley Hammer are nominated for “Best Powder” and it’s easy to see why. Winterland opened with Todd, Tim, and Hadley ripping big lines amidst legendary season snowfall in the Tetons. While it’s easy to dream about skiing somewhere else, sometimes your backyard is the best place.

Angel Collinson is nominated for “Best Female” this year for her part in Winterland. Angel started her season by warming up at her home resort of Snowbird before heading to Palmer, Alaska with TGR. Angel continued to develop her already formidable skills. As she said, “The terrain was pretty convex, which made it really blind. You’d have three to four points in your line that you couldn’t see where you were going. Having to memorize a really long line is pretty challenging, and it makes it hard to ski fast and confident.”

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One of the best things to come out of Winterland was the chemistry Angel struck with Elyse Saugstad while filming. Elyse has been on the big mountain skiing scene for a while but this was her first time with TGR. Not only was having two female big mountain skiers on the annual TGR Alaska trip a big deal but Elyse and Angel brought out each other’s goofiness, which made for a great segment.

Winterland was the culmination of much effort not only on the part of the athletes but also cinematographers, editors, and greater production team. That clearly paid off because Winterland has been nominated for “Movie of the Year.” If you haven’t already seen Winterland, it’s recently become available for download.

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Those who have followed TGR for a longtime are intimately aware of the inspiration the Grateful Dead have provided over the years. Chris Benchetler took that to a whole new level with his passion project “Fire on the Mountain.” A unique blend of snowsport, surfing, and art, “Fire on the Mountain” includes both daytime and nighttime segments. Check out some of the photos from the movie below to understand why it’s nominated for both “Best Post Production” and “Best Cinematography.”

Chris in Fire on the Mountain.

Rob Machado in Fire on the Mountain.

Lastly, the Powder Awards aren’t just for the snowsport industry. They also deeply care about what fans think so please show your support by voting on nominees for best in sport by following the Powder Poll link below. Without the fans, TGR wouldn’t be possible or able to produce the same high quality content every year. 

Powder Poll

Representing TGR on the men's side of the Powder Poll are Chris Benchetler, Tim Durtschi, Nick McNutt, and Cody Townsend. Meanwhile Angel Collinson, Hadley Hammer, and Elyse Saugstad are holding it down on the women's side.