All photos by Brent Benson.
Find more of his work on hisInstagramorFacebook.
Throughout the past twenty years, Chads Gap has become legendary within the ski community.
But who is Chad?
Where is the gap?
Did ski patrol actually blow it up?
Luckily, one particular photographer has the answers to it all.
After seeing countless numbers of powder shots, Brent was inspired to photograph something different.
We started to document big airs - and Chads Gap was my first published photo ever, he said.
Chad Zurinskas in 1999.
We just thought it was another big jump.
So how did Chads Gap come to be anything other than an ordinary jump?
Oddly enough, the story begins with a bunch of snowboarders.
Every year the snowboarding posses would throw a huge party in Grizzly Gulch, the slack-county of Alta.
It was late afternoon and the sun was quickly setting.
Candide lands the gap.
Candide, at sixteen years old, thus became the first skier to dump the gap.
Five days later Chad cleared the gap.
Little did the crew know that day at Chads Gap would be talked about for years to come.
I was brand new to photography and didnt think much of the gap, said Brent.
In fact, Chads Gap blew up both metaphorically and literally.
While filming for Teddy Bear Crisis in 2005 the jump was the largest it had ever been.
At this particular location, Brent explained that We were being lazy and didnt feel like tearing it down.
Alta Ski Patrol then stuffed fourteen pounds of dynamite in the kicker.
Chads Gap was neverfullyblown up by Alta Ski Patrol.
I remember one of the ski patrollers even said, That sucked.
Later in the day they brought a snowcat up and pushed it down for us instead, added Brent.
The attempt to blow up Chad’s Gap.
Alta Ski Patrol scoping out the damage.
Then it sat unsessioned again for some time until Tanner came back in 2017 for redemption.
Clearing the gap is no joke.
53 or 54 - youre definitely making it over.
Fifty-one is pushing it.
Through big sends and broken ankles, Chads Gap has earned a well-deserved iconic status.
I think the cult following is hilarious, I love it, said Brent.
Vote now for Brent’s Chad’s Gap photo as the favorite Powder photo from Altahere.
