The first company to create twin tips, Line was conceived in the mid-nineties to disrupt long-standing assumptions about how skis should look and perform. Today that anti-establishment philosophy persists in designs by artist Eric Pollard.
When he started skiing as a teenager, Pollard thought topsheet graphics were lame and uninspired. “I saw painting and drawing as a way to change this,” says the 31-year-old freeskier and filmmaker. Pollard likes to describe the relationship between inventing tricks and creating art as “symbiotic,” and Line’s new ($960) is a good example of his expressionistic style. The lone peak with cascading roots symbolizes Mount Hood, Oregon, where he tests Line’s prototypes daily.
The ski is enviably light (just 4.6 pounds), thanks to its balsa-composite core, and the reverse camber decreases drag and gives superior acceleration. For Pollard, it’s a tool for riding deep powder, slashing through trees, and hucking Cab 9’s. Says Josh Malczyk, Line’s brand director, “This ski really is Eric.”