Salt Lake City (February 14, 2011) - Four days of blue sky following 16 inches of fresh powder set the perfect stage for the fourth annual Ski Salt Lake Shootout, where professional photographer Garrett Grove of Bellingham, Washington, won first place for his eight-image portfolio and a prize of $3,000.

"Between the amount of snow that fell, the level of talent my skiers and snowboarder had, and how well they knew Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude, it was hard to go wrong," Grove said after receiving the first-place award. "It was all there, all week. I just had to hold up my end of the deal."

Local professional photographer Lee Cohen won first place in the "Urban Meets Mountain" category with his photo of a skier rappelling while rock climbing with the Salt Lake skyline as the backdrop. Cohen is a well known ski photographer both locally and nationally, and is most known for his deep-powder imagery.

"The category was created to showcase the urban setting of Salt Lake and its proximity to four world-class resorts and outdoor recreation," said Laura Barnes, Tourism Communications Manager for Visit Salt Lake. "Lee's image not only did that, but surpassed all of the judge's expectations."

Another local professional photographer, Steve Lloyd, was awarded third place for his portfolio. "I feel so lucky to spend time with gifted athletes in the mountains and create images that represent the way I feel about being in the outdoors," said Lloyd. "I hope that my work inspires people to do great things and to get out there."

But the competition's not over yet. Starting today, February 14, the public is encouraged to view each competing photographer's best shot of the week on Visit Salt Lake's Facebook contest page and vote for their favorite image. The image that receives the most votes during the next week wins, with the photographer and athlete taking home an additional cash prize.

In addition, fans who participate in the contest will be automatically entered to win a 3-day, 3-night Ski Salt lake trip for two, including lodging and lift tickets. Go here to enter the contest.

Go here for contest details, entry guidelines, past Shootout winners, testimonials from past participants and video footage of the event.

Ski Salt Lake promotes Utah's capitol city and its four Cottonwood Canyon resorts as the ideal winter vacation destination unmatched in accessibility, variety and snow quality. Located just 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake's resorts each average 500 inches of snow annually and collectively offer more than 7,500 skiable acres. Ski Salt Lake, where urban meets mountain.