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“Once the snow starts to fall, the historic day-use cabins and shelters of the Rossland Range become gathering spots—perfect for playing a game of cribbage, sharing a potluck, or warming up after a long tour. This photo shows Kole Harle outside Sunspot Cabin as the day transitions into night.”

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“Once the snow starts to fall, the historic day-use cabins and shelters of the Rossland Range become gathering spots—perfect for playing a game of cribbage, sharing a potluck, or warming up after a long tour. This photo shows Kole Harle outside Sunspot Cabin as the day transitions into night.”

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FRAMED
9 min

The Power of Place

Female ski photographers are rare. Ashley Voykin wants to change that.
Photos and captions by
Ashley Voykin
Words by
Jayme Moye
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“Kole Harle, one of my favourite skiers to photograph, and I, in our respective roles. Photo taken by Roman Robazza.”

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“Kole Harle, one of my favourite skiers to photograph, and I, in our respective roles. Photo taken by Roman Robazza.”

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“The coming dawn illuminates the face of Old Glory Mountain—the highest peak in the Rossland Range at 7,795 feet (2,376 metres). Once, a weather station was located atop it—originally North America’s highest manned weather station before a fire in 1968 destroyed it. An old fire lookout tower still stands at the highest point, covered in rime ice during the winter months.”

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“The coming dawn illuminates the face of Old Glory Mountain—the highest peak in the Rossland Range at 7,795 feet (2,376 metres). Once, a weather station was located atop it—originally North America’s highest manned weather station before a fire in 1968 destroyed it. An old fire lookout tower still stands at the highest point, covered in rime ice during the winter months.”

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Voykin in her element at Red Mountain Resort, camera in hand.

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Voykin in her element at Red Mountain Resort, camera in hand.

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“Many of my images feature talented skiers who call Red their home mountain, such as Jeff Ashton in this shot. Working with friends and locals who love this hill as much as I do is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. They bring their own ideas, energy, and personality to every shoot, shaping the art we create together.”

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“Many of my images feature talented skiers who call Red their home mountain, such as Jeff Ashton in this shot. Working with friends and locals who love this hill as much as I do is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. They bring their own ideas, energy, and personality to every shoot, shaping the art we create together.”

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Ashley Voykin doesn’t take a single photo during our two-hour hike up Mount Roberts, a 6,532-foot (1,991-metre peak near Rossland, British Columbia. “I want the shots from the top,” she explains.

As we crest the summit, I understand why. A birds-eye view of Red Mountain Resort reveals itself. Red is Western Canada’s oldest ski resort, and arguably its most iconic, with more than 4,000 acres of advanced terrain spread across five rugged peaks. Further down, the cobalt blue Columbia River winds its way through heavily forested foothills.

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“We waited almost an entire season for the right conditions for this shot. This is Kole Harle on “The Macerator,” a Rossland classic, on a perfect bluebird powder day. I positioned myself well back with my telephoto lens to capture this view of one of my favorite inbounds lines.”

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“We waited almost an entire season for the right conditions for this shot. This is Kole Harle on “The Macerator,” a Rossland classic, on a perfect bluebird powder day. I positioned myself well back with my telephoto lens to capture this view of one of my favorite inbounds lines.”

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This is Voykin’s domain. She has been a staff photographer at Red Mountain for eight seasons and now works as the resort’s lead photographer. I see her unpack her camera from her backpack and point it beyond the resort toward the distinctive triangle peak of Old Glory, the highest point in the Rossland Range. She’s using a 70-200mm lens. She shows me the mountain’s portrait on her camera’s display. “I enjoy taking long, compressed shots,” she explains. “There’s a lot happening in the landscape with all the trees, and sometimes I prefer to shoot beyond them or compress the scene to simplify and create a cleaner image.”

Voykin is known for her sleek, stylish images and has helped elevate Rossland, her hometown, to international prominence. Besides her work with the resort, her photographs have been published in National Geographic, Powder Magazine, and many other publications. She also shoots photos for destination marketing campaigns for tourism organizations in the mountainous region where she lives, and for various outdoor brands.

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“Some of my favourite days at the resort are spent alone, wandering around to explore different perspectives of the mountain. On this day, the light was putting on a spectacular display, and this scene of two unknown skiers on the deck of the historic Start Shack was exactly what I was looking for.”

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“Some of my favourite days at the resort are spent alone, wandering around to explore different perspectives of the mountain. On this day, the light was putting on a spectacular display, and this scene of two unknown skiers on the deck of the historic Start Shack was exactly what I was looking for.”

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“Ski photography involves a lot of factors—the light, the snow’s texture, the skiers’ movements, passing clouds, and more. Since we can’t control all these variables, we have to adjust to the conditions. I’ve always found this to be a big part of what drew me to ski photography in the first place, and what keeps me interested now. Skier: Jeff Ashton.”

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“Ski photography involves a lot of factors—the light, the snow’s texture, the skiers’ movements, passing clouds, and more. Since we can’t control all these variables, we have to adjust to the conditions. I’ve always found this to be a big part of what drew me to ski photography in the first place, and what keeps me interested now. Skier: Jeff Ashton.”

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Although Voykin was raised in the mountains, the 28-year-old didn’t ski as a child. She came from a photography background and eventually learned to ski while working. “The camera is how I explore the world,” she explains. “Skiing is one of the incredible experiences that come from that.”

Voykin grew up in Genelle, an unincorporated community with a population of 756. In high school, she developed a passion for landscape painting. After graduating, she moved to Calgary, a seven-hour drive away, to attend the Alberta University of the Arts, where she studied illustration and design.

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“While I love Rossland all year, winter has a special kind of magic. The downtown turns into a scene straight from a Christmas card, and the excitement around ski season and fresh snow is tangible.”

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“While I love Rossland all year, winter has a special kind of magic. The downtown turns into a scene straight from a Christmas card, and the excitement around ski season and fresh snow is tangible.”

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“The Red Chair is Western Canada’s first chairlift. You’ll only find fixed-grip, slow-moving lifts at Red Resort, with no high-speed options. That’s part of what makes this mountain so special, helping to keep skiing’s roots alive. In this shot, Kole Harle flips beneath the classic two-seater on a deep December powder day.”

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“The Red Chair is Western Canada’s first chairlift. You’ll only find fixed-grip, slow-moving lifts at Red Resort, with no high-speed options. That’s part of what makes this mountain so special, helping to keep skiing’s roots alive. In this shot, Kole Harle flips beneath the classic two-seater on a deep December powder day.”

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“Shooting at a resort requires creativity. Runs can become tracked out, and patches of powder can vanish under passing skiers. This unpredictability keeps me alert and scanning for new opportunities. At the end of a bluebird powder day, Kole Harle and Zac Davis hiked above the Motherlode Chair at Red Resort to carve a few last turns into untouched snow.”

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“Shooting at a resort requires creativity. Runs can become tracked out, and patches of powder can vanish under passing skiers. This unpredictability keeps me alert and scanning for new opportunities. At the end of a bluebird powder day, Kole Harle and Zac Davis hiked above the Motherlode Chair at Red Resort to carve a few last turns into untouched snow.”

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As a student living in the city, Voykin often felt homesick. She longed for the rural activities of her childhood, like seeing wildflowers bloom in summer and watching salmon spawn in the fall. She missed exploring the small towns across British Columbia’s Kootenay region, where a strong sense of place and quirkiness define the area. Although she didn’t consider herself an outdoor adventurer at the time, Voykin missed being outside among the mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes.

After a year at university, Voykin switched her major to photography. She had been using a camera for several years, always taking photos as references for her landscape paintings.

“It seemed like I could spend more time outdoors and explore more as a photographer.”
Ashley Voykin

But she felt she was in the wrong place. Voykin recalls her instructor saying, “If you want to do outdoor photos like National Geographic, go do it, because you won’t learn that here.” After a semester of photography in January 2017, she dropped out and went back home, saying, “I just wanted to be out there doing it.”

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“On powder days at Red, the mountain is often wrapped in clouds and storms. But occasionally, the sky clears, the sun shines through, and the combination of light and snow creates a fleeting, surreal scene.”

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“On powder days at Red, the mountain is often wrapped in clouds and storms. But occasionally, the sky clears, the sun shines through, and the combination of light and snow creates a fleeting, surreal scene.”

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“High above the Purcell Mountains and Lake of the Hanging Glacier, I’ve been searching for new angles from the air. Recently, my pursuit of fresh perspectives has taken me up to the skies, and getting the landscape from a small plane’s viewpoint feels like an endless possibility.”

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“High above the Purcell Mountains and Lake of the Hanging Glacier, I’ve been searching for new angles from the air. Recently, my pursuit of fresh perspectives has taken me up to the skies, and getting the landscape from a small plane’s viewpoint feels like an endless possibility.”

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That spring, Red Mountain Resort in Rossland announced a vacancy for a photographer to join a small team responsible for shooting on-mountain events throughout the summer. Voykin applied and secured the position. She also connected with Paul Zizka, a professional mountain landscape and adventure photographer based in Banff, through a mentorship program. She credits Zizka with teaching her the business side of photography and motivating her to strive to become the go-to person in her region.

Red Mountain Resort valued Voykin’s work, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her local knowledge of the terrain. After the summer season, the company asked her to work as an on-mountain photographer during the winter as well, which motivated Voykin to improve her skiing skills. She had only skied a few times while growing up, mainly on groomed trails—nothing like what would be expected of her as a ski photographer. Especially at a resort like Red, with its deep powder, challenging tree runs, and unmarked cliffs.

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“Jeff Ashton launches high over the roof of one of Red Mountain’s historic in-bounds cabins, a remnant of the mountain’s early ski days. A deep snow year left roof-shed snow piled beside the cabin, forming the perfect takeoff.”

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“Jeff Ashton launches high over the roof of one of Red Mountain’s historic in-bounds cabins, a remnant of the mountain’s early ski days. A deep snow year left roof-shed snow piled beside the cabin, forming the perfect takeoff.”

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“Steep tree skiing is the most defining characteristic of Red’s terrain. Steep trees, steep cliffs, and steep couloirs all come together to give the mountain its distinctive edge. In this image, Jeff Ashton blasts through the woods.”

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“Steep tree skiing is the most defining characteristic of Red’s terrain. Steep trees, steep cliffs, and steep couloirs all come together to give the mountain its distinctive edge. In this image, Jeff Ashton blasts through the woods.”

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“I saw it as a challenge,” Voykin says, “not just the expert skiing, but doing it with heavy, expensive photo equipment and in a male-dominated industry.” At that time, very few women worked in action sports photography. Voykin knew she would need to prove herself. She committed to the challenge by showing up at Red every day to improve her skiing—even on days she wasn’t scheduled to shoot photos.

“I realized that in this career, there will always be people who doubt you, because of your gender, your ability, their own perceptions, whatever, but ultimately, the work speaks for itself.”
Ashley Voykin

By her second winter season, Voykin had become the lead photographer. In 2019, she relocated to Rossland, where the local ski community has been incredibly supportive, and becoming part of it has marked one of the highlights of her career. Today, Voykin acts as a role model for young people in the region who aim to become outdoor adventure photographers. She recognizes that her gender sometimes sets her apart, but is careful not to treat girls as anomalies in the snowsports industry. “We’re beyond the point where women have to prove they belong, that they can succeed out there,” she says. “It’s time to normalize our presence by showcasing our work.”

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“Monica Meadows in the Purcell Mountains is a place I’ve photographed many times, but on this day, I wanted a different perspective—one from beneath the surface. I toted a pair of bulky fishing waders and an underwater camera housing up the trail. Partway through shooting, my bargain waders sprang a leak, but the brief discomfort was worth it to see and photograph the steep ridges of Mt. Amen-Ra from such an unusual angle.”

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“Monica Meadows in the Purcell Mountains is a place I’ve photographed many times, but on this day, I wanted a different perspective—one from beneath the surface. I toted a pair of bulky fishing waders and an underwater camera housing up the trail. Partway through shooting, my bargain waders sprang a leak, but the brief discomfort was worth it to see and photograph the steep ridges of Mt. Amen-Ra from such an unusual angle.”

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“My passion for capturing the Kootenays goes beyond ski shots and scenic landscapes to telling the story of how the land evolves through the seasons and over time. In the summer, that often involves wildfires. This long exposure of the 2024 Argenta Creek wildfire, burning on the north end of Kootenay Lake, is part of my ongoing project, Fire Season, which explores both the impact of fire on the landscape and the aftermath it leaves behind.”

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“My passion for capturing the Kootenays goes beyond ski shots and scenic landscapes to telling the story of how the land evolves through the seasons and over time. In the summer, that often involves wildfires. This long exposure of the 2024 Argenta Creek wildfire, burning on the north end of Kootenay Lake, is part of my ongoing project, Fire Season, which explores both the impact of fire on the landscape and the aftermath it leaves behind.”

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For Voykin, becoming an expert skier was the next step in deepening her connection to the Rossland Range, the Kootenay region, and in creating an even more intimate relationship with the mountains and valleys she photographs. Standing atop Mount Roberts with her, overlooking Red Mountain Resort, she points to her favorite ski lines. “See that run, kind of through that gully with the rocks? I love it in there. Some rocky cliffs on the bottom are really fun to shoot into.”

Over the past few seasons, Voykin has taken up backcountry skiing and is honing her skills to keep up with the athletes out of bounds. “The backcountry offers so many different avenues for being a ski photographer,” she says. “I’m excited to access different places, explore, and branch out.”

When Voykin began her photography career at age 20, she set a goal to capture places and landscapes as if revealing a person’s personality, much like a portrait photographer would. While her home mountains have so far been her biggest source of inspiration, Voykin recognizes that photography is a journey, both literally and metaphorically. “We’ll see where it takes me.”

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Jayme Moye is an American-Canadian freelance journalist living in the snowy Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. She writes about pushing the limits of human potential in the context of mountain sports and culture. When not writing, you’ll find her skiing or trail-running in the backcountry.
The Power of Place
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