Perched on a rock in the Goyko Valley, high in the cathedral of the Himalayas, Chad Sayers knew he was in the right place. Fresh out of high school, he’d traveled with a friend to Nepal, camera in hand. It was there, pointing his Nikon F90X at the tallest peaks on Earth that he considered the possibilities behind the lens, dreaming of a life as a National Geographic photographer.

Back in Vernon, BC, a few months later, he started to put that plan into action. He thought about college photography programs, and even began filling out an application for the former Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, BC.

But the mountains intervened once again. Sayers had been gaining momentum as a freeskier across Canada. He moved to Whistler and competed in continental contests before earning a spot on the inaugural Freeride World Tour. Skiing took center stage. His Western application, on the other hand, stayed in Vernon, unfinished…

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