James Niehues collectible book of trail map paintings on Kickstarter, ends 1/3/2019

[Lexiski]

Ohhh!

I got to interview Jim about his book and enjoy a day at Alta ski area with him in March.

At SKI UTAH we're making a movie about him and his process with an interview about his reaction to the success of the book. He is such an incredible spirit. It was an honor to meet him and experience the beautiful views of Alta with him. I'll never forget it!

Check out my interview with him on Ski Utah - we'll drop this video this fall after the book is available to purchase online.

https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/lexi/powder-people-jim-niehues

 

[RachelV]

My book shipped today! Really looking forward to getting my hands on this.

 

[Tvan]

I’m waiting for mine, too!

 

[RachelV]

It's still in "pre-shipment"! SHEESH. Zero miles closer to me than it was 48 hours ago.

 

[marzNC]

Sounds like all the Kickstarter books should be shipped by mid-October. They are coming from Alabama. The local post office wasn't quite ready for a large volume when the books started shipping.

In the mean time, I got a preview of the cover from the latest Kickstarter update. Big Sky got the honor.

Big Sky is offering a 10% discount for people who order the book and a print of the Big Sky painting.
https://blog.bigskyresort.com/hot-off-the-press-big-sky-on-the-cover/

 

[Christy]

“I think of the paintings as art instead of trail maps. In the early days, it was really about the map, but the values have shifted.

Oh, that's interesting. I've always wondered why his depiction of Mt Rainier on the Crystal trail map doesn't really look like Mt Rainier--it's too skinny-- but if his primary goal is art then it's just his interpretation.

 

[marzNC]

Oh, that's interesting. I've always wondered why his depiction of Mt Rainier on the Crystal trail map doesn't really look like Mt Rainier--it's too skinny-- but if his primary goal is art then it's just his interpretation.

The ideal is to show every face for a ski area, even if it's as huge as Big Sky or Bachelor or Park City. Meaning every trail and lift can be added at a later date, complete with lift names, trail names, and whatever else needs to be shown. Pretty tricky when a ski resort is actually multiple peaks that can't be seen from one viewpoint in real life. Of course, there are times when an additional painting is required. For instance the back side of Lone Mountain at Big Sky.

Niehues puts in just as much care for a small hill like Massanutten or Cateloochee, which are both under 100 acres. He also paints landscapes of vast areas totally unrelated to ski slopes.

He seems to have enjoyed doing new paintings of places like Alta or Big Sky that he'd done many years ago. Comparing the different versions is interesting. We'll see if more than one painting for a single resort is included in the book.

 

[VickiK]

I got a text saying my book was shipped!

 

[marzNC]

Got mine today! It's wonderful!

Includes a case study of how the Breck painting evolved.