The Grizzly Column Project
Film & Photos by Noah Wetzel | Words by Jack O’Brien
On a snowy but balmy spring night, a quiet moment came to pass in a clearing near the terminus of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. To the west the megalithic, snowbound flanks of Mount Superior bathed in the ombré of a coming evening. But that night the towering peak’s eminence was juxtaposed against a lonesome, pyramidal column of snow resting 1,600 feet below.
Taken by itself, the cone residing in that glade was little more than a small bystander to the passing of another day. But this feature, meticulously crafted, was the silent centrepiece of years of conceptualizing and hours of labour, all to capture a single serene moment.
In May of 2023, photographer Noah Wetzel embarked on a massive project. Finding the clearing in Superior’s shadow in 2020, Wetzel shot landscape photography there that year, returning 13 months later to capture the scene again at twilight. Using an aerial light painting technique to give the scene a unique, studio-like effect, Wetzel imagined coming back for a winter shoot.
“The final concept was envisioned,” he says. “Creating a terrain park feature in the backcountry, illuminating a hand plant column from above with studio-esque lighting.”
Wetzel’s foresight for the shoot was grandiose, and his unique vision would require a unique athlete partner.
While shooting with Tanner Hall in 2023, Wetzel happened to run into Tom Wallisch. The moment was, “the perfect opportunity to explain my concept to one of the best skiers in the world.”
Wallisch jumped at the opportunity. From there, ideation turned into action. Wetzel took to testing flashes, zeroing in on the camera configuration and flash power that would be ideal for the anticipated lighting. He then shuttled 70-pound loads of gear to the location, testing his concept on-site in one last dry run. But on the final shuttle, doubts set in.
“The negative voice in my head questioned the complexity of the shoot, reminding me with each painful step of how hot it was outside and that I was over skiing months ago,” he says.
Still, he and Wallisch forged on. The day of the shoot, the two packed the rest of the gear and ski toured to the site. Under a roasting spring sun, they got to work. Fashioning the feature was its own craft.
“Building a proper feature is an art form in itself,” Wetzel says. “After three hours, the feature was perfectly manicured and ready for the first test hits.”
Improvising through flash errors and lighting changes, Wetzel dove into the 15-minute window of remaining blue hour before darkness set in, capturing Wallisch with a wireless flash positioned behind the feature and directly above it, attached to a drone. The duo’s work came to fruition during this crucial time frame.
“It was during the first ten attempts that we captured this surreal cover image, the flash attached to the drone illuminating the column, and making it appear as if it was coming from the moon,” Wetzel says.
After a short break, the two worked on a second concept—longer exposures in the dark of night.
“With a slight haze, the light pollution from Salt Lake City illuminated the sky with a subtle orange hue,” Wetzel says. “Utilizing four portable work lights, I was able to light the pine trees to showcase their true green, contrasting the orange sky and the beautiful white snow.”
They had actualized the concept after 120 hours of work. And Wallisch had hit the feature some 45 times in complete darkness.
This unique partnership was borne on seeking challenging, artistic collaboration, something dear to Wetzel, a photographer whose craft is defined by always pushing forward.
“That’s where growth lies, that’s where progression lives,” he says. “To capture something truly unique, you have to familiarize yourself with discomfort and uncertainty, reminding yourself that you’ve put in the work and are prepared to execute.”
Wallisch agrees: “For me this kind of shoot is unique and special. [It’s] more of an artistic expression of skiing and the world around us. Rather than trying to impress an audience with technical skiing, it’s all about trying to create an image that inspires and creates a sense of awe in the viewer.”
For more information on Wetzel and his work, or for limited edition artwork pieces, visit WetzelGallery.com/products/grizzly-column-I, or email Info@WetzelGallery.com.