Skiing Symbols: The Meaning Behind the Art
Art: Christian Johansen (@crisp.gin // @cmjcmjcmj)
“Every ski this season features DNA symbology as inspiration and a shared visual element between shapes. It was Pep’s brain child originally, that he shared during our design meeting. DNA is the fundamental root of all living organisms, symbolizing the connectivity between us as a species and, most importantly, our connection to all living things.” - Christian Johansen, FOW & 2024 ski topsheet artist
Did you know that we screen print all of our own topsheets at our Design Lab in Salt Lake City? From product design, to the formulation of biobased materials made from microalgae oil, to the production of every ski and board that leaves our facility, our DIY approach to product performance is pervasive. It spans our approach to science, engineering, design, and art.
Using multiple screens sequentially over one surface allows us to organically achieve all kinds of unique, layered textures and halftones that subtly reveal the meticulously designed biobased and recycled materials that set our products apart.
Our 2024 ski lineup takes this concept to its zenith - with textures, layers, and motifs that come together to tell an important story.
Nocturne 88 - Solar Eclipse
Art: Christian Johansen (@crisp.gin // @cmjcmjcmj)
Nocturne is for dark starts.
Our narrowest shape embraces darkness, light, and fast travel, serving as a vehicle to get you from solitary, headlamp-lit moments on the valley floor all the way to breathtaking sunrise top-outs.
The solar eclipse motif is a reminder of every natural cycle that dictates how we move in the mountains. From freeze-thaw cycles to weather windows to storm cycles, everything ties back to our own relationship with the Earth and sun.
Vital 98 - Owl Feather
Art: Christian Johansen (@crisp.gin // @cmjcmjcmj)
The Vital’s owl feather is a reminder of WNDR Alpine’s mascot, the snowy owl. When we launched in 2019, the snowy owl became a symbol of everything our products would stand for. Light, fast, and silent, yet also a vicious, powerful apex predator, the owl’s duality represents our Tread Light, Charge Hard approach to the mountain.
On the Vital, the small feather symbol gets blended with a translucent macro image of another snowy owl feather, creating a beautiful aesthetic of layered semitones.
When you step in at the top of your next line, we encourage you to bring some snowy owl attitude with you. Float, soar, and hunt. Be gentle yet powerful. Tackle your line with balance and poise.
Intention 108 - Human Fingerprint
Art: Christian Johansen (@crisp.gin // @cmjcmjcmj)
Frontcountry vs. backcountry. Wilderness vs. civilization. It can be all too easy to forget that these black and white distinctions are human - and largely Western - constructs.
In a part of our species’ history in which many of us feel so separate from Nature, the Intention 108’s fingerprint serves as a reminder that humanity and Nature are one in the same. Our species exists as a functional part of the global ecosystem of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. But how do we choose to show up in this ecosystem? Well, that’s a matter of Intention.
Our materials and products are what you get when you combine modern scienctific ingenuity with the ancient wisdom of Mother Nature. Using a multi-billion year old biobased resource to create high-performance, ski and board-specific materials is the epitome of this thinking.
Reason 120 - Microalgae
Art: Christian Johansen (@crisp.gin // @cmjcmjcmj)
Our widest skis are derived from the tiniest things. The translucent, glowing objects you see on the Reason’s topsheets are real, magnified images of microalgae - tiny, single-celled organisms that evolved to be expert producers of renewable oils.
Using Nature’s eternal wisdom, we use these oils to create biobased sidewalls and core components instead of relying on traditional, petroleum-based plastics like ABS. Indulge in the joys of renewable resources as you play and smear your way through Nature’s bounty.