It took six hours.
Sitting in the cold winter winds staring across the rocky amphitheatre, Paul Bride watched two red dots inch their way up a giant icicle. The dots were Jen Olson and Kyle Vassilopoulas. Both are talented climbers, with Olson one of seven Canadian women certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.
The mass of frozen water to which they clung to hung on the face of a vast grey cliff, as though defying gravity. Bride had found his gem.
Judges in the world's largest action sports photography contest would later agree. Bride's photo from Alberta's famed Ghost River ice climbing area was selected as one of five winners in the playground category of 2013 Red Bull Illume awards. It was up against 28,257 photographs submitted by 6,417 photographers from 124 countries.
It' pretty exciting, said the Squamish-based photographer, having just arrived home from a photo trip to the Northwest Territories.
Bride is no stranger to extreme working conditions, from blistering snowstorms in the Rockies to the thirst-provoking heat of Namibia's deserts. In October, Bride heads to Alaska's tundra for a commercial shoot. After that it's off to capture the riders of Hawaii's big waves, then to Mexico to cover climbing and finally Scotland to photograph ice climbing.
Scotland's known for bad weather and dangerous climbs, so it makes for really good photographs, he said.
Bride didn't pick up a camera until after college. His then girlfriend, now wife, loaned him a point-and-shoot for a six-month backpacking trip through Asia. That was it, he said. The lights turned on; photography became his focus. Bride started taking his camera along on skiing trips. It wasn't long before Bride was dangling 1,500 feet off mountain faces and frozen waterfalls to shoot climbers.
Today, Bride's work has graced the covers of more than 26 adventure magazines. His work spans six continents and Bride is sponsored by Lowepro, Arc'teryx and Cascade Designs.
I work abroad more than I do in town, Bride said.
It's always nice to return to Squamish and unpack, he said. And it's even better when he knows he's captured the magic and awe of extreme sports.
You want to come home with the shot, Bride said.
For more information on Bride visit www.paulbride.com
