PLANKS

History

“I first fell in love with skiing at a 50 metre long dry slope in Kidsgrove, UK. For over a decade, I honed my skills as a skier there, dreaming about seasons in the Alps. At 18, I set out on my first winter season in Val d’Isère and took any job that allowed me to ski every day. In 1998, I was sponsored by Salomon, Oakley and Vans, and a new journey as a professional skier began.

This allowed me to travel the globe and ski with some of the world’s best freestyle skiers such as Candide Thovex, Tanner Hall and Jon Olsson. Along the way, I acquired many friends, contacts and experiences in the industry that would later become the platform for Planks to flourish and become the company it is today.

Whilst living in Val d’Isère, I began to notice a clear shift in popularity from snowboarding to free-skiing, and with it came the need for a skier’s brand.

Since establishing Planks, this shift in the industry has exceeded all of my expectations. Free-skiing is now a World Cup sport and takes centre stage at the Winter Olympics; terrain parks are dominated by young skiers and the emergence of backcountry freestyle has been remarkable.” - Jim