With ski and board season upon us, this local clothing and gear will serve you well on the slopes
1. Mountain-ready bandanas made from factory offcuts
Behind the Mask Interior designer Susan Parker made her first face covering in March 2020, from her husband, Dave Williams’, underwear (bear with us). Williams owns Vancouver-based 2Undr, and his samples became the first of Parker and son Johnny Negrin’s OverIt products. All of their mountain-ready bandanas are made from leftover factory fabric.
Duer
2. Pants for conquering a mountain
Vancouver-based Duer has been crafting performance denim since 2015–jeans you can actually bike in (or, in the case of the Fireside Summit Pant, conquer a mountain in). Founder Gary Lenett’s goal is to make gym clothes you can wear outside the gym, but not athleisure: these pants are sophisticated, never slobby.
Prior Manufactory
3. Iconic skis made in Whistler
Prior Manufactory in Whistler is a staple for Canadian-made snowboards–the late and much-loved founder Chris Prior built his first one in 1989, changing the game thanks to his background shaping windsurf- and surfboards in Barbados. Prior still makes all of its snowboards, skis and splitboards in-house.
Wolverine Snow Products
4. Top-tech ski poles
Wolverine Snow Products is a fresh company, launched by Joey Vosburgh and Chris Payne this past June. But the co-founders have been gathering mountain-related intel for years–they grew up snowboarding together in the Rockies. Their star product, the sleek, aluminum Selkirk Sticks, is hand-assembled in Revelstoke.
Anian Clothing
5. Cozy wool tuques
Paul Long founded Anian Clothing in 2013, and the Victoria-based company opened a new store in Vancouver last fall. The post-consumer waste textile brand offers dye-free woven goods like tuques, coats and sweaters that are perfect for keeping cosy on the slopes.
Wired Snowboards
6. Snowboards designed and built in East Van
When it comes to new kids on the snowboard manufacturing block, Rob Dow and Peppe Hansson are shreddin’ the industry. In 2017, they started Wired Snowboards, which designs and builds boards out of East Van. They do some gnarly custom work, too.
Après Skied Ski Art
7. Art made from recycled skis
Michelle Fletcher and Brett Saunders, two tail guides/drivers at Mustang Powder Lodge near Revelstoke, found themselves out of winter work in 2020 due to the pandemic. Deciding to take upcycling to new heights, they turned their hobby into a business. Kimberley-based Après Skied Ski Art transforms old and broken skis into one-of-a-kind cribbage boards, belt buckles and wine racks.