WNDR Alpine… Your new favorite ski brand
Quiver of One(der)
A few years back I was getting ready to spend my first winter in the PNW. I had an EPIC pass and was looking forward to logging days at resorts like Whistler and Steven’s Pass. I was in the market for a ski that would fit into the big mountain charger category… 100+ underfoot, sturdy, but not so heavy that touring days would be a burden. I stumbled across a promotion for a new ski brand, WDNR Alpine. I took a look. They had one shape, the Intention 110. It was offered in a run of lengths and two camber profiles. I was intrigued by the simplicity. The more I learned, the more stoked I was on what this company was doing. The brand was launched as the first consumer products arm of a biotechnologies start-up that was creating new materials from micro-algae as an alternative to common petroleum-derived products (think plastics, resin, polymers, etc). Checkerspot, the materials lab, had brought Matt Sterbenz on board to head this project. Matt was the man behind 4FRNT skis and a former professional freeskier. He also turns out to be one of the nicest dudes you will ever meet. You can read more about the process behind WNDR’s skis and snowboards on their website, but it is enough to know that they are making real progress to minimize waste and actually build skis in a way that is more sustainable. Skiing might feel like the only thing in the universe at times, but when we zoom out it is a tiny niche of consumer goods. Still, WNDR and Checkerspot are making small but monumental strides towards a world that is less dependent on petroleum and utilizing renewable resources to keep us living the lives we love.
I picked up a pair of the original Intention 110s in the camber profile. To this day, it is one of my all-time favorite skis. I have toured on it regularly and find it to be a good hybrid (resort/backcountry) ski that can be slimmed down with a lightweight binding, or mounted with a heavier pin binding depending on your expected use. I have a Dynafit Rotation 12 binding and the ski pairs super well with a heavier-duty touring boot like the Maestrale XT or Fischer Transalp or Dynafit Radical Pro. I ski this set up often in the resort and just as often on single-day ski tours mid-winter in Washington.
The ski that started it all. Original Intention 110s in front Mt Yotei, Hokkaido, Japan.
Fast forward a few years, the WNDR Alpine line has expanded to include the Reason 120, Vital 98, and this year’s Nocturn 88. The Intention has been slimmed down ever so slightly to a new shape that is 108 underfoot. All shapes are offered in both a traditional camber and reverse camber profile. I still love the simplicity of the line. Rather than overwhelming you with a dizzying array of graphics and shapes to fit different marketing niches, the team at WNDR keep things true to their ethos and still have plenty of skis to offer the discerning, dedicated modern-day skier. I’m proud to say I joined the WNDR team and have been skiing on WNDR skis almost exclusively (only exception being sub-80 waisted skis that I pair up with tighter pants for skimo races, training, and high-alpine ski mountaineering with long approaches and technical climbing).
Intention 108s parked outside Niseko’s best coffee stop
This past winter, I picked up the Intention 108 in reverse camber and 188cm length. This thing rocked on various trips to Hokkaido, Washington, and even Colorado’s uninspiring Front Range snowpack. The longer-length (for me) and reverse camber profile resulted in a fast, damp, and maneuverable ski with dreamy pow floatation and versatility to handle variable conditions and crud. I also skied the 183cm Vital 100 in a cambered profile, which became may go-to ski for day-in, day-out ski touring and guiding. In general, I have been impressed with the reverse camber profiles for their playfulness and versatility in variable conditions. I still love a traditional cambered ski when conditions are more predictable, but the reverse camber skis from WNDR perform surprisingly well when it comes to holding an edge on all but icy conditions.
I love mid-winter skiing. I REALLY love skiing pow. What gets me most amped up though is ski mountaineering in steep, complex, and consequential terrain once the season shifts gears into spring. I am anxiously awaiting the first opportunity to put the Nocturn 88 to the test next season. True to the WNDR Alpine spirit, these skis promise to be a playful, free-ride focused ski well adapted to the demands of steep and technical ski mountaineering.
FOW Dan Crist entering the rarely skied Ypsilon Y Couloir, Rocky Mountain National Park
It's been a few years now since I decided to sell my splitboard and leave the sideways snow surf guiding to my more dedicated splitboarding colleagues. I don’t have any first-hand experience with WNDRs snowboard offerings, but friends of mine who ride them are 100% psyched. I trust their judgement.
