Klattermusen Starts The Search For Europe’s Next Big Outdoor Adventure Photographer

Klättermusen knows precisely what sacrifices need to be made to reach the top tier of adventure photography.

• “The photographer is always the person who gets the least credit. That’s why I have so much respect for snowboard photographers.” – Sven Thorgren
• “The photo is the trophy that you bring home and that allows you to relive the moment.” – Xavier De Le Rue

Their new film, A Different Perspective, explores this in detail through the lenses of Tero Repo, Melody Sky, and Daniel Bernstål - three cover-bagging masters of the game.

• Melody Sky. Capturing nature at its most spectacular and athletes at their limits – what else can we add to Melody Sky’s bio that she hasn’t already written? Perhaps the fact that the incredible photography, filmmaking, and graphic design career she’s carved out for herself has been entirely self-propelled? Maybe the fact that she was one of the first women in the world to have ski footage broadcast on a global scale? Or should we mention where it all began, alongside her wave-riding Dad in the Cornish surf – the setting for her first ever action sports photography experience as a child? Melody’s self-made story is the culmination of many narrative strands, all of which have led her to some of the most fascinating adventures in the outdoor world.
• Daniel Bernstål. Swedish photographer Daniel Bernstål’s introduction to action sports isn’t particularly unique - after seeing his brother make his first fresh tracks on a mountain, he became hooked on snowboarding. But the style in which he shoots is undeniably different. His intense use of flashguns helps capture epic moments in a vibrant style that has pumped personality and fun into many of his snowboard magazine spreads, skateboarding projects, and commercial gigs. The giants of action sports media couldn’t agree more. “A stylish handplant is always worth a photo,” Snowboard Magazine wrote in 2018. “But a handplant captured by Swedish photographer and snowboarder Daniel Bernstål is another thing entirely. Bernstål plays with light and shadow to cosmically contrast the rider from his environment.”
• Tero Repo. It’s no exaggeration to say Tero Repo is a giant of winter sports photography. Tero boasts snowboarding goliaths Jeremy Jones and the De Le Rue brothers among his regular clients, and the mountains of Antarctica, Japan, Greenland, and Alaska as his go-to office spaces. While his bold approach to giving the mountains as much focus as their riders makes his style so recognisable and sought-after, the Finnish creative’s work exists beyond the thousands of photos he’s had published in magazines. You’ll find his punchy style in luxe watch campaign imagery, piercing portraits of ice hockey brutes, brand photos with F1 champions, and more.

The film is set for official release on 9 November 2023, with select screenings taking place at this year’s Kendal Mountain Festival. What’s more, Klättermusen and the stars of the film are also launching a Europe-wide photo contest that, true to the brand’s ethos, seeks to discover and support the next big name in our outdoor cultures.

The contest will officially launch on 17 November 2023, coinciding with Kendal Mountain Festival. they say "In the outdoor world, one group is often overlooked. Walking twice as far and carrying more than double the load of anyone else, the photographer is an unsung hero that helps shape  outdoor culture with their unique view on things. From their life behind the shutter, photographers have set the stage for others to bask in the spotlight. They are true craftsmen that have perfected their skills by learning, doing, failing, and succeeding. We wanted to shift focus, offering a glimpse behind the imagery that we have all enjoyed for so long, showing you the mountains from ‘A Different Perspective´."

“Genuine craftsmanship has been the cornerstone of Klättermusen since 1975,” says Simon Stenborg, Creative Lead at Klättermusen. “We support the true pioneers of the outdoor world by providing the tools needed to perfect their own craft.” “With ‘A Different Perspective’, we wanted to shift the focus towards the unsung heroes who provide us with the inspiration to keep doing what we do. We wanted to explore what happens when photographers turn their cameras towards each other in order to portray their own craftsmanship with the thinking and attention to details that goes within their storytelling artform.”