2013 Best Cinematography

Candide’s much-anticipated movie lived up to the hype. The film, which spliced RED Epic shots from the past two years with archival footage, and interviews with Candide’s family and friends, was a visually stunning look at what made Candide who he is, how he recovered from near career ending injuries, and why he’s motivated to keep skiing.

2013 Best Documentary

A film about the elusive yet effusive verve of Candide Thovex, Few Words profiles the Frenchman’s ski career from his youth up to the current day. Unlike most bio documentaries, Thovex does not speak until the final five minutes of the film, allowing others to explain the enigma of Candide and his affect—past and present—of the ski world.

2013 Best Editing

The Level 1 Productions crew set out to make a film that put people in a sunny mood. They more than succeeded. The skiing was stellar, the editing was crispy and creative, and it made everyone who watched it want to go skiing.

2013 Best Jib

Clayton Vila, hailing originally from Block Island, Rhode Island, took home his first POWDER Award for “Best Jib” in The Eighty Six by Stept Productions. The award is also the first POWDER Award for the young film company based in Boulder, Colorado. Vila hit a massive step-up rainbow rail in the streets to close his closing segment in the The Eighty Six. The feature is one of high consequence and as impressive as the feature was, it was Vila’s smooth style and confident 270 out that sealed the deal in the eyes of the POWDER Awards panel.

2013 Best Line

Since Eric Hjorleifson won the Full Throttle award in 2008, his control and stomped landings amidst big, technical descents has been unmatched. In the closing segment of Matchstick Productions’ Superheroes of Stoke, Hjorleifson returns from a knee injury to charge a sequence of lines that were the smoothest and most technical of the year.

2013 Best Manmade Air

After quietly putting together one of the best segments in recent memory, Henrik Harlaut accepted the “Best Manmade Air” Award at the 2013 POWDER Awards via a pre-taped video from the City Garage in Ellicotville, New York. Harlaut’s ending trick in his six-minute plus segment in Inspired Media Concept’s The Education of Style won the award. The smooth double flat 7 blunt grab is flawless. This is the first POWDER Award for Harlaut, who has been on tear in big air comps this season and out on the road on the Inspired Demo Tour, a multi stop East Coast and Mid-West tour that promotes good style and good times in skiing.

2013 Best Natural Air

In his first year filming with Poor Boyz Productions, Sean Pettit finds his way to the Powder Video Awards podium for the fifth consecutive year (Breakthrough Performer, 2009; Full Throttle, Best Male, 2010; Best Powder 2011; Best Male, 2012) In the closing segment of WE, Pettit skis a line that seems like it will never end. In the middle of the descent, Pettit throws a couple of monster 360s with his typical aplomb. He navigates cliff-strewn mountains with the effortlessness of a squirrel in the trees. But with more spinning.

2013 Best P.O.V.

Who says team managers can’t ski? Probably The Jaded Local, however, tonight Topher Plimpton, the team manager for Scott, took home the “Best P.O.V.” Award with his pal Corey Felton for their dual descent in Two Plank Productions’ Because. The duo were also nominated for “Best Line” by the POWDER Awards panel. The award is the first for Two Plank Productions.

2013 Best Powder

To those skiing in Alaska, B.C., or Jackson, big powder is practically presumed. But sometimes skiers, even on the East Coast, happen to unexpectedly be in the right place at the right time. In Meathead Films’ No Matter What, the right coasters capture an all-time dump in the middle of a tragically dry season, and set it to the epic tune of I Break Horses’ song, Winter Beats. It’s a five minute of reminder of just how good skiing can be to us.

2013 Women’s Reader Poll

Here are the Top 5 Women’s Reader Poll winners for the 2013 Powder Awards

Music: “Jellyfish”, PAWS