Best of 2014 – The Top 10 Photos from Australia and New Zealand

October 22nd, 2014


New Zealand only managed a below-average season this year, but this didn’t mean there weren’t any of those classic South Island powder days. Queenstown local, Harry Petit, scores some mid-August Blower at The Remarks. Image:: Vaughan Brookfield

Mountainwatch | Photos

What better way is there to toast the 2014 season than to dig deep into the archives and pull out what we think were the best images to come out of the Australian and New Zealand mountains? 

Wanna see your best photos from the year up here, too? Send your shots to alexh@mountainwatch.com and we’ll compile the best user-submitted photos of the year. 


Opening weekend didn’t deliver any natural snow over here in Australia, which meant it was left up to the snowmakers to fill the void. Here, a Falls Creek snowmaker sets the guns as the sun rises. Image:: Hocking


This photo hardly needs a caption. Snow-maggedon. 25th of June, Perisher. Image:: Perisher


Jindabyne local, Dhanu Sherpa, slashes a classic Aussie bank in Thredbo. Image:: Gareth Christian


Stef Zeestraten went on an epic mid-season backcountry mission deep into the Canterbury Highlands. Rarely do we see a snowboard image with such intense contrasts. Image:: Stef Zeestraten


Transfer Snowboard Magazine hosted their first ever Banked Slalom in Thredbo on August 15. The event attracted over 150 competitors of all ages and was truly a defining moment in the Aussie snowboard community. Image:: Robbie Warden


We love this shot. Nate Johnston scores the turn of his season out the back of Mt Buller on arguably the best day of the year: July 19. Image:: Andrew Railton


Chillfactor’s Associate Editor and Honorary Ski Bum, Chris Booth, entertained us all this season with his inquisitive writing style and engaging narrative voice. We can’t wait to hear about what he gets up to over the Northern Hemisphere Winter. Image:: Dom Kieler


The World Heli Challenge mixed up their event this year with an open-to-anyone video entry format. The change delivered a breath of fresh air to the almost 21-year-old freeride contest. Not only did they run with a new format, but they also used a new zone: Aoraki’s Mt Cook. The majestic peak is pictured here as one of the birds lies in wait. Image:: Harro


Nat Segal is one of Australia’s pioneers of big-mountain adventure skiing. She bases herself over in Treble Cone each winter and gets to call its epic backcountry her daily playground. Here Nat enjoys the company of friends during an all-time day in the backcountry. Image:: Camilla Rutherford