2025/26 Ski Safari Photo Competition Winners
Our end-of-season Photo Competition is always a highlight for our team: getting to look through hundreds of customer photos showcasing how much fun our customers had out on the slopes.
In previous years, we compiled a list of our Top 10 photo entries. This year we mixed things up and split the competition into six categories - Action, Landscape, City, Activity, Family and Best Video - so every kind of "Ski Safari moment" had its time to shine.
And shine they did. Nearly 800 photos and videos landed in our inbox this season, capturing everything from deep turns in Japanese powder to fjord-side sunsets in Norway. The whole team spent hours looking through the entries, voting and reflecting on our own time in these locations featured.
Read on to see who came out on top this year!
The overall winner is...Simon Pattinson!
Gausta, Norway
We're delighted to announce Simon as the overall winner of our Ski Safari Photo Competition! His prize? A 7-night ski holiday for two to Myrkdalen, Norway, in January 2027. This fantastic trip also includes a day trip to the fjords, including an electric fjord cruise and the Flåm Railway.
Simon says: "This photo of the four incredible women in our family was captured because I fell! I had wanted to get a shot of everyone ‘sitting’ on top of Gaustatoppen but had failed miserably all week. My much-loved Leica wrapped in a towel and stuffed in a rucksack only gets to ride the slopes on the last day of every holiday when I try to fill the family album in a rush.
Having decided at the top it would be my last run while the others wanted another, my typical enthusiasm ended in predictable fashion with a slide out and sit down, resisting the otherwise painful lay down onto a very hard camera! Letting the others head down for the final lift, I sat and savoured the view, snapping all the time. My peace while enjoying those final precious ski trip moments was interrupted by loud shouts from above, actually more like jeers to be honest, but I took them as a friendly hello. The alarm gave me sufficient time to grab the shot as the family swept past. It would be stretching the truth to suggest the outcome was by design, but the effect is exactly what I had wanted and the photo exposed very well. Sitting on Gaustatoppen.
We have fallen in love with family holidays in Scandinavia. There is a beautiful serenity which Norwegians, with typical simplicity, call ‘kos’, a deeply embedded cultural love of simple and cosy pleasures; even when it's white and cold. It is extremely contagious and calls you back time after time.
Our winter adventures in Norway and Sweden started almost 10 years ago as a closer, family-friendly alternative to Canada, as recommended by Ski Safari. We haven’t looked back or looked elsewhere since, and now have a fine collection of Norwegian knitwear as evidence of our fun times; although I appear to be the only one who dares actually wear any!
It would be very hard to pick our favourite Scandi resort; we would go back to any in an instant, always enjoying the uncrowded slopes, immaculately presented hotels and discreet, almost apologetic service; however, Gausta does have the best cocktails and the best scenery.
Over many years, Andy and the team at Ski Safari have been patient of our growing wish list, likes and dislikes, lateness in booking and odd fussiness; at times it must feel like we are testing their resolve, but always they deliver and we enjoy a fabulous winter adventure. Looking forward to 2027 already!"
We couldn't be more thrilled for Simon, and we can't wait to see what he captures next!
Simon is very much a familiar face here at Ski Safari, having booked his ski holidays with us for nearly 30 years. In fact, this isn't his first taste of competition success either. He picked up 10th place in our 2023/24 Ski Safari Photo Competition - also for a shot taken in Gausta! It just goes to show that Gausta's breathtaking views have a habit of drawing people back, again and again.
Congratulations, Simon - enjoy Myrkdalen!
Best action shot - Rita Davalli
Niseko, Japan
Japan skiing doesn't do things by halves - bottomless powder, silent birch forests, and descents through miles of untouched snow. Rita and her friends visited Niseko and experienced just this after ski touring up Mount Yotei - an impressive feat! They share their experience:
Rita says: "We had gone up Mount Yotei - around 1000 m in a day - and it was our first time ski touring, so not bad at all! The descent was the most rewarding, as you can see in the picture it was really magical: snow everywhere, no sounds, no other human beings, it felt like a dream!
Andy Evans was wonderful, super helpful and professional throughout the process and even more (we chatted with him quite recently too). Amazing guy! The rest of the staff was super nice too. Special mention to the Whiteroom guides who were super cool, knowledgeable and fun!"
Best family shot - Posy Macrae
Gausta, Norway
Gausta's gentle slopes, family-friendly runs and big, open skies make it a firm favourite for half-term adventures - and this shot captures exactly that! Cheeky grins and family fun against the impressive backdrop of Gaustatoppen's magnificent peak.
Posy says: "We have been skiing in Norway for the last six years. Ski Safari have been able to find great resorts and accommodation that cater for all our needs, from the grandchildren to Granny! We had a fantastic week in Gausta, with brilliant skiing and learning about the history of the Telemark region, including the must do adventure in the mountain tunnel. We’re looking forward booking another family trip with Ski Safari for 2027!"
Best city shot - Claire & Josh Sammons-Evans
Bergen, Norway
Claire and Josh captured the magic of western Norway on their skiing holiday to Myrkdalen over the New Year. With their sunny landscape of Bergen's coastal location, it was a no-brainer that Claire and Josh won our City category!
Reflecting on their holiday exploring Bergen before skiing in Myrkdalen, Claire and Josh say: "Our first time visiting Norway was incredible. From the stunning natural beauty of the fjords, and a magical train journey back to Bergen, to exploring the city on foot - a perfect combination. Myrkdalen provided the ideal blend of skiing and relaxation. Booking with Chloe and the team was simple and seamless, and their first-hand expertise ensured we had a memorable holiday!"
Best video - Matt Cobden
Niseko, Japan
"Our video was meant as a keepsake for our first trip to Japan, just something to pull together all the cool things we did and saw. Victoria and Abbie were great. They helped shape our trip into the memories you see in the video. Thanks again guys."
Back to Niseko for our video winner! Niseko is famous for its light, dry powder, and Matt's video showcases Niseko's world-famous "Japow" which is perfect for playful turns on a board. Matt is well and truly familiar with Niseko's impressive terrain, and placed 9th in our 2023/24 Ski Safari Photo Competition Top 10!
This year, Matt really upped his game with a fantastic holiday video. It captures Niseko at its best: impressively deep powder, tight turns through the trees, and beautiful shots of Mount Yotei rising over it all. There's the playful chaos of off-piste tree skiing, waves of sugary soft snow (plus a few good-natured soft-lands in the powder), and a lovely montage of everything Japan has to offer beyond the slopes, including incredible food and colourful culture beyond the ski resorts.
Best landscape shot - Greg Hyatt
Gausta, Norway
Gausta's dramatic Gaustatoppen and picturesque landscape make it one of Norway's most photogenic resorts. This year, we received hundreds of photo entries of Gausta, and it was a tough choice picking our favourite snap! In the end though, we all agreed that Greg captured Gaustatoppen at its prime: peachy sunset and snow-covered trees.
Greg says: "As a group of friends, we were looking for a change this year; more than just a new ski area to explore but different experiences, both culture and cuisine! Abbie and the team at Ski Safari filled the brief perfectly."
Best activities shot - Claire & Josh Sammons-Evans
Cruise to Flåm, Norway
Norway excels when it comes to non-ski activities, and a team and customer favourite is the exciting opportunity of sightseeing the fjords!
And it's easy to do for skiers heading to Myrkdalen or Voss: just ride the short bus journey to Gudvangen and experience one of the most dramatic fjord cruises in the world, meandering across the magnificent waters of the UNESCO-recognised Nærøyfjord towards the remote town of Flåm.
Winning not just one but two photo categories, Claire and Josh's beautiful photo captures how serene Norway's fjords can be.
Inspired by what you see? Book now for the 2026/27 season!
We all have that one mountain memory that keeps pulling us back, year after year. These photos capture exactly how much our customers enjoy our holidays - and they're the perfect nudge to start planning your next trip.
If a shot here has caught your eye, why not make it your own? Enquire online or call our ski specialists on 01273 224060 to start planning your Ski Safari moments for winter 2026/27.
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