Trying to grab our ever – more – scattered attention, ski brands are taking their graphics to new levels of creativity, slapping original artwork on everything from boards to buffs.
The most expansive example comes from Icelandic Skis. Line up the various Maiden and Nomad models and a Hobbit-esque mountain scene appears, hand-painted by company co-founder Travis Parr. Similarly, beyond carving art into Alaskan faces, Line skier Eric Pollard dabbles on paper and then transfers his creations to the top sheet of his signature skis. Chris Benchetler does the same for his Atomic Backland Bent Chetler big mountain sticks. And every year, Whistler-based Prior runs a contest to add another original graphic for its custom-made planks.
On the clothing side, Krimson Klover owner and founder Rhonda Swenson uses her travels for inspiration in the Ski Top Village collection of merino wool tops. And then there’s Buff. Android Jones, a snowboarder and graphic designer, designed an original artwork series to grace our favourite neck warmer/scarf/toque-thing. In short, skiing never looked so good.
