K2 Mindbender ft. Sam Friedman - Winter 2023/24
Role: K2 Design Director
Studio Visits and Powder Turns.
Since its inception in 2018, K2 Mindbender has been the pinnacle collection for K2 Skiing. A collection of skis and boots that are for the free spirit. Those unique individuals include anyone from the hard charger who’s in the parking lot before the lifts start running for the day all the way to the outdoor enthusiast aiming to explore the mountain in a “freeride” mindset for the very first time. K2 Mindbender really has something for all to enjoy the most full circle mountain experience.
For the 2023 season we aimed to turn the collection on its head. We wanted to change how people looked at ski graphics and plant our flag as a leader in a world of “Special Projects”. To offset the status quo of the limited release that only reaches the feet of a few, we worked on the ENTIRE collection with New York native artist, Sam Friedman.
Sam, a skier himself, comes from a family that spent many hours on the slopes as a kid. In addition to those fond memories spent on hill, Sam is a lifelong painter and has made a career out of doing so. He practices his craft in his home state of New York, away from the noise of the city, tucked away in the trees in Pleasant Valley, NY.
The Design Approach
Sam’s work is large. Like full body experience, fill an entire wall in a room large. He expresses that by making these large format paintings, it pushes him to use his entire body and not just his hand or arm, to be involved in the process - similar to that of a turn a skier would make on an open run. The parallels of this are both abstract and pure that it creates for graphics and experiences that really draw the viewer into the mindset of Sam when he is creating them.
By first glance, his current work can be split into two main categories. First being, these vast, immersive paintings that pull the viewer into a family yet distant landscape. Secondly, he is a master at creating patterns that feel both free-flowing while having these beautifully structured layers to them. The paintings almost have a contrast of feeling but exist together in the same space by focused color and flow.
Unlock the Mindbender.
Many times, skis are designed exclusively on the “topsheets”. Meaning that graphics are focused on what the skier sees when they are standing on the skis. However, by doing this, we are essentially leaving out 50% of the canvas that is on the base / underside of the ski to be at the mercy of performance materials that are typically in solid colors and without graphic. To change this, we worked in connection with the engineering team and pushed our printing practices to become experts at sublimating the base material of the skis. By doing so, we created something that is fully unique for the space and really brings artwork into the natural world. We didn’t realize this at first - but by leaving graphics off of the base of the ski, we were really leaving out the most visible part of the ski when the ski is being used.
Don’t Forget the Boots!
With a color pallet as dialed as Sam’s, we knew we ABSOLUTELY had to include the boots in the fun. Similar to Sam’s paintings, we developed a unique and eye-catching color pallet that felt both timeless and timely all the same. In addition, we incorporated Sam’s artwork into the straps located at the top of the boots.
K2 has been known for it’s off-beat color pallet over the past few seasons but this collection gave that artistic eye to the world of ski boots. Ultimately pushing K2 further into a household name in the world of ski boots.
Getting the Word Out.
Working directly with the K2 marketing team, Sam’s artwork was featured as the cover art and story for Issue 5 of DownDays’ annual book. Founded in 2008, DownDays is a unique publication based in Innsbruck, Austria that focuses on skiing and mountain culture through a different lens than most content that you come across in the ski world. Sam’s story was perfect for them so the great people at DownDays sat Sam (and myself!) down to get the full story on the collaboration.
For the book design - every edge of the exterior is covered. Front, back, spine, and even the page ends feature Sam’s amazing artwork. Similar to how we leaned into the artwork on the base of the ski - we wanted to viewer to experience the artwork from every angle - not just the “topsheet”.
For the full article and to purchase DownDays: Issue 5 please visit the following LINK.
From Now On, Sam is Part of K2...
Sam couldn’t let everyone have all the fun on the slopes without him. This being a full circle moment for him, it was only correct to get him out Cat Skiing with the K2 team on the skis he helped create. Sam and team ventured up to British Columbia, Canada to get some of those proper powder turns that Sam aims to emulate with his paintings.
Additional Contributions:
Skiers: Sam Kuch, Manon Loschi
Ski and Ski Boot Engineering: Jed Yeiser, Sean Fearon, James O’Connel, Austin Peters, Christie Burrow
Additional Design: Tim Benasich, Health Fugate (for setting the path a few years before)
Product Line Management: Tyler Delumyea, Tom Pietrowski | Marketing and Brand Direction: Tom Johnson, Julia White, Khai Krepala, Ronja Blut
Leadership: John Colonna, Pete Stolz, Jon Roy, Tim Swart
Photography and Videography: Jake Price, Jack Dawe, Christian Raguse | Edit: Seamus Foster | Sound: Shane McFalls
MAJOR THANK YOU to Sam Friedman and everyone at DownDays EU