WildSnow is in the ski business, so we usually have dozens of skis kicking around. Our day-to-day testers and favorites live on a big ski rack in my studio-workshop. They look proud. Our special collector skis were resigned to leaning in a corner. They were sad. So we got Grassracks to send over a beautiful bamboo wall hanger. These are practical; rig it for your daily rides if you like. But in our case the idea is to do some of our special skis proud.
Grassrack installed and filled with ski touring backcountry skis in our living room. From top down: 10th Mountain Division military skis from around 1942, Splitkein logo on tip, stamped with U.S. just ahead of the binding. Duret ski mountaineering plank I was on when I got worked by an avalanche in 1982. We’re not sure it hanging there broken is aesthetic enough for our living space. On the other hand, it’s a good reminder. I used the Dynastar Yeti for quite a few 14er descents in the late 1980s and 1990s. They were a demanding stiff ski, perfect on steep frozen corn but not exactly a powder ski. K2 Wayback I skied on Denali on with my son in 2010, a life-list dream I love being reminded of.
Step One: screw in the mounting bar.
Step Two: hang ski mounts on bar. You’re done! Grassracks get their name because they’re made from bamboo, which is technically a grass but serves as a beautiful wood for everything from floors to furniture. Their products are compatible with a high-end residential finish but work just as well in your storage shed. We might have to mount a few more to hold our backcountry skis.
6 comments
“K2 Wayback, I skied Denali on these with my son in 2010, a life-list dream I love being reminded of”.
Sorry to get sappy but I have to say that I appreciate how your family does so much together and is so good at articulating the closeness that you share for each other.
I have to admit that that is not something that I share with my own father – I love the guy but we’ve never “hung out” together. I sometimes wonder if that is a small part of why my wife and I never had kids.
Anyway… bring on winter.
Hi Shane,
Thank you for your kind words. I feel enormously blessed with the life that Lou had shared with us. I often marvel at his patience. First with marrying a city wife who didn’t ski and then by bringing me along on tours to introduce me to the backcountry. He’s shown the same gentle encouragement to our son. True, we live in a beautiful place that begs to be explored but Lou has always made it a priority to embrace it.
Yall need a Katana or two in there.
Or mebbe just some Volkl’s . . .
Just what I’ve been waiting for!
I have a pair of the original Surface Walk Free skis. Most beautiful top sheet and base designs that I have ever seen. Albeit, they ski like crap and belong on a wall.
One ski will face out. The other will face in.
Ciao for now.
Thats a beautiful rack… could go for one of those for sure! but – I don’t think the wife would tolerate it in the living room.
Man cave?