Powder Poll University

Powder Poll U

Process of getting the videos to the Powder Awards Editor

Since the inception of the PVAs nine years ago, the number of professional ski films produced increases each year. This, of course, demonstrates the vitality and demand for ski cinematography. But it also makes the job of the Powder editors that much more difficult and demanding. Once we watch every film (over 30 in 2009), Powder asks each film company to submit their nominees for each category except Movie of the Year. Because the quality of ski films continues to evolve, this year we added two new categories recognizing the creativity of the filmmakers: Best Editing and Best Cinematography

Powder Poll U Chalkboard

Once we receive each film company's nomination, we combine their submissions with any notable entries they may have missed, and post all the footage onto a password protected website.

How the winning films are chosen

Perhaps the most integral ingredient of the PVAs is the expert panel. Each year, we scan and survey the industry for about two dozen industry-wide experts, from photographers, to skiers, to filmers, to writers, to professional skiers, to product and marketing managers, in order to judge and select nominees for each category. These experts vote for their top five nominations and a winner in each category.

Online and ballot tallying

And you, the reader, have a place too. As tradition dictates, readers are asked to vote for their favorite men and women athletes in the Reader Poll by voting online right now at www.Powder.com. So make your voice heard, and see who wins on the night of January 23, 2009. Will Seth Morrison and Ingrid Backtrom keep their places at the top of your list, or will someone new knock them?

Show Production

It seems as soon as one epic night of the Powder Video Awards and Reader Poll concludes, our marketing team is hard at work planning another unforgettable night for next year. It's a scramble to organize all the festivities involved, yet somehow, the staff congeals and continues to elevate the fun each year. The wheel of plans and ideas spins around the Powder offices in late-spring, and we decide on a theme in early-autumn. Guest presenters, entertainers, and hosts get slated in the fall. Invitations are mailed out shortly thereafter for the best night in the ski industry hosted at Aspen's classic Hotel Jerome.

Guest Presenters and Celebrities

The PVAs are hosted in Aspen, and who doesn't party in Aspen?
Shannon Elizabeth, the foreign-exchange hotty in American Pie, Lonnie Paxton of the New England Patriots Super Bowl championship teams, musicians G. Love and Cali P, and Jason Lewis from Sex and The City have all graced the fabled red carpet of the Powder Video Awards and Reader Polls throughout the years. Of course, every pro from the last couple of decades from Glen Plake to Kye Petersen has been in attendance in addition to all those scantily-clad pro clingers. Who will elicit the flashes of cameras on the red carpet this year? Which musician will have the packed crowd swaying, jiving, and dancing this year? If you're on the list, then maybe you'll find out while rubbing elbows at the bar or dance floor or in line to the bathroom.