marzNC
Angel Diva
Won't help with trail names in any case. The puzzles that I found are of the original paintings, not the trail map after a graphic artist has added trail names and so on.
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Was the trail map for your favorite ski area based on a painting by Jim Niehues?
- Thread starter marzNC
- Start date
marzNC
Angel Diva
For destination resorts, seems like almost all of them commissioned Neihues in the last 25 years. He's done almost 250. The previous painting of Mammoth was done by Hal Shelton. There are other examples of other paintings of major ski resorts in the paper by Tait (researched in 2008).
Neihues said recently that he is more or less retiring. But there are are few projects that he can't refuse. I'm glad he decided to do a thorough job for Big Sky.
marzNC
Angel Diva
The Imagekind e-store that Niehues uses to sell his paintings is a little confusing. Best way to see all the ones available is to search on "Niehues". Searching for "Niehues Big Sky" pulls up three: Big Sky 1990 that is the front side only, Big Sky & Moonlight 2014, and the Yellowstone Club. Easiest way to see how much more is included in the 2014 version.
Searching on "Niehues Alta" brings up four: Alta 1991, Alta/Snowbird 1992, Utah Ski Resorts 1996, and Cottonwood Canyons and Park City 2013. The 1996 painting views are from north of SLC and includes all the ski areas at the time, but not in detail. The description for the 2013 version says:
"It was painted for The Utah Ski Association to portray the future Interconnect system of these seven resorts. The interconnect system is NOT shown on this print since the final configuration is not confirmed. This print shows the lifts and elevations of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and The Canyons."
Searching on "Niehues Alta" brings up four: Alta 1991, Alta/Snowbird 1992, Utah Ski Resorts 1996, and Cottonwood Canyons and Park City 2013. The 1996 painting views are from north of SLC and includes all the ski areas at the time, but not in detail. The description for the 2013 version says:
"It was painted for The Utah Ski Association to portray the future Interconnect system of these seven resorts. The interconnect system is NOT shown on this print since the final configuration is not confirmed. This print shows the lifts and elevations of Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and The Canyons."
marzNC
Angel Diva
Alta and the new Big Sky paintings are definitely on the list. Problem is that there are a few others I'd like too. Plus have to decide what size. First world problem.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Niehues noted a new article published in Sept 2014 about him on his FB Page. It's a good interview with a few tidbits I hadn't seen before. It's called The Mountain Map Man. I'm glad he said he'll keep doing a few ski painting projects and not retiring completely.
* * * Excerpts
Scout: What's the most challenging part of creating a map?
Niehues: Most resorts have more than a single face to them with slopes hidden from any single perspective. The most challenging part of any multiple faceted resort is moving all the elements so the entire system of runs can be shown in one view, without the viewer seeing any reason why it not just as it is portrayed! In the case of Big Sky, the "satellite perspective" was the only way to get all trails in and the decision was made to stay with the more conventional view and have several perspectives to show the vastness of the area.
Scout: Other trail maps just don't seem to be as easy to follow as a James Niehues map. What is it that makes your maps so much better than others?
Niehues: Detail, detail, detail. A map must be credible and the more detail the more credibility.
Scout: How many ski resorts in the world feature James Niehues maps?
Niehues: My figures show 227 different trail map perspectives for 169 different ski resorts - worldwide.
* * *
* * * Excerpts
Scout: What's the most challenging part of creating a map?
Niehues: Most resorts have more than a single face to them with slopes hidden from any single perspective. The most challenging part of any multiple faceted resort is moving all the elements so the entire system of runs can be shown in one view, without the viewer seeing any reason why it not just as it is portrayed! In the case of Big Sky, the "satellite perspective" was the only way to get all trails in and the decision was made to stay with the more conventional view and have several perspectives to show the vastness of the area.
Scout: Other trail maps just don't seem to be as easy to follow as a James Niehues map. What is it that makes your maps so much better than others?
Niehues: Detail, detail, detail. A map must be credible and the more detail the more credibility.
Scout: How many ski resorts in the world feature James Niehues maps?
Niehues: My figures show 227 different trail map perspectives for 169 different ski resorts - worldwide.
* * *
marzNC
Angel Diva
Exciting that there will be a coffee table book of all of the trail map paintings that Neihues has done thru 2018. Would be cool if the Bachelor painting he is working on for 2019 makes it too but might be hard to fit into the publication deadlines. The Kickstarter that ended Jan. 3, 2018 for the book raised almost $600,000 from just over 5000 people. The target date for delivery of the book is June 2019.
The Man Behind Most of the Ski Maps in America - December 2018
" . . .
On Art: “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. Hal and Bill realized it was important to get the beauty and to give people something they could look at and dream about. I think a computer-generated map is a reflection of the office—it’s rigid. A hand-painted map reflects the outdoors. You ski to get into that environment.”
. . ."
The Man Behind Most of the Ski Maps in America - December 2018
" . . .
On Art: “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. Hal and Bill realized it was important to get the beauty and to give people something they could look at and dream about. I think a computer-generated map is a reflection of the office—it’s rigid. A hand-painted map reflects the outdoors. You ski to get into that environment.”
. . ."
marzNC
Angel Diva
For anyone who missed the Kickstarter but would like the book of Niehues' trail paintings, it's possible to pre-order one. I can't wait to get mine when shipping starts in August!
https://jamesniehues.com/products/book-pre-order
https://jamesniehues.com/products/book-pre-order
TeleChica
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We have a print he did on commission of Tuckerman Ravine. A bunch of folks on Time for Tuckerman (a now nearly extinct site, but it had a big group of loyal posters back in the day) hired him to paint the Ravine and my SO contributed to the commission and got one of the prints.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Great article by @Lexiski in Ski Utah based on an interview during last winter. She asked some questions that are the standard ones.
https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/lexi/powder-people-jim-niehues
https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/lexi/powder-people-jim-niehues
marzNC
Angel Diva
James Neihues has been nominated to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. He's in a category with five nominees and up to 3 will be inducted at the festivities at Sun Valley on March 28, 2020. Voting by a few hundred industry leaders happens in August, with winners announced in September. Be very cool if they would recognize his contribution by selecting him as one of the inductees.
From an email sent the Niehues elist in early August:
"James Niehues, the artist behind more than 300 ski resort trail maps worldwide, is among 15 candidates nominated this year for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. This prestigious honor highlighting his lifetime achievements and global impact upon the ski and snowboard industry comes on the heels of a new book detailing Niehues’ trail map art and one-of-a-kind career, with early sales already setting records before his book is available this Fall.
“I’m truly honored and humbled that the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame recognizes my passion for what I do and appreciates the fact that my work is so unique,” Niehues said. “I had no idea that I could make that much of an impression on an entire industry. This whole thing, the nomination and the recent book, it’s just hard to put my gratitude into words.”
Niehues was born on a farm in Loma, Colorado and never aspired for recognition. But he did dream of becoming an artist. Over a more than 30-year career, he has hand-painted trail maps for iconic resorts around the globe, spending countless hours painstakingly adjusting perspectives and details to craft both useful guides as well as works of art.
He is among five candidates in the hall’s “snowsports builders” category, which elevates men and women whose work has “had a clear national impact” and are “widely known for their work.” The 2019 class of snowsports builders includes Benjamin Finely and Arthur Clay, the founders of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, the 44-year-old umbrella group for more than 50 African American ski clubs; Gwen Allard, a visionary in the world of adaptive skiing; Howard Peterson, the long-time leader of the U.S. Ski Association; and pioneering ski movie maker Greg Stump.
Supporters of Niehues' nomination include Telluride ski resort owner and chief executive Bill Jensen, who said: “Jim is an iconic part of skiing, from the way we use his maps to his signature in the bottom corner. I mean, how many trail maps of his have been printed? Hundreds of millions? What other artist can say that?”
. . ."
From an email sent the Niehues elist in early August:
"James Niehues, the artist behind more than 300 ski resort trail maps worldwide, is among 15 candidates nominated this year for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. This prestigious honor highlighting his lifetime achievements and global impact upon the ski and snowboard industry comes on the heels of a new book detailing Niehues’ trail map art and one-of-a-kind career, with early sales already setting records before his book is available this Fall.
“I’m truly honored and humbled that the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame recognizes my passion for what I do and appreciates the fact that my work is so unique,” Niehues said. “I had no idea that I could make that much of an impression on an entire industry. This whole thing, the nomination and the recent book, it’s just hard to put my gratitude into words.”
Niehues was born on a farm in Loma, Colorado and never aspired for recognition. But he did dream of becoming an artist. Over a more than 30-year career, he has hand-painted trail maps for iconic resorts around the globe, spending countless hours painstakingly adjusting perspectives and details to craft both useful guides as well as works of art.
He is among five candidates in the hall’s “snowsports builders” category, which elevates men and women whose work has “had a clear national impact” and are “widely known for their work.” The 2019 class of snowsports builders includes Benjamin Finely and Arthur Clay, the founders of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, the 44-year-old umbrella group for more than 50 African American ski clubs; Gwen Allard, a visionary in the world of adaptive skiing; Howard Peterson, the long-time leader of the U.S. Ski Association; and pioneering ski movie maker Greg Stump.
Supporters of Niehues' nomination include Telluride ski resort owner and chief executive Bill Jensen, who said: “Jim is an iconic part of skiing, from the way we use his maps to his signature in the bottom corner. I mean, how many trail maps of his have been printed? Hundreds of millions? What other artist can say that?”
. . ."
