While ski movie companies may not be threatened by what is cropping up on the internet, not every individual who post edits out of nowhere is destined to be lost among the crowd. Andrew Whiteford built himself a pro ski career thanks to his tiny, relatively inexpensive, helmet cam and a Vimeo page.

Whiteford has used his edits, which now regularly draw tens of thousands of hits of on Vimeo, to get his name out there and showcase his skills.  The short, clean, action-packed clips of talented and fast-paced big mountain skiing in the Tetons have brought him sponsors and opportunities that most still only dream about. 

Knowing from the beginning how low his chances of breaking through in this manner were what helped push him to make good, riveting segments, said Whiteford. While the traditional route to ski fame, big mountain competition wasn’t his thing, Whiteford was still able to show what he could do by using his camera instead of a panel of judges as a medium.

With editing talent and an understanding of what looks good on film, will Whiteford incorporate the new-school way of self-promotion into a longer work, and consider traditional format ski movie making himself? He says he might—it’s definitely something to look into for the future.