Summer Dispatch: 040
some bits + bobs plus skiwear's summer era!
This weekend is the unofficial start to summer which means Slopeside is backkk*!
The ski gear is officially collecting dust in the closet and the trail gear is making its seasonal return. Today we’re talking some bits + bobs plus a few fun summer apparel collections I’m excited about.
*Slopeside slows down in the off-season, but you can still expect a few reads sprinkled throughout the summer!
Chairlift Chatter
Want to go heli-skiing with Chelsea Handler? The comedian (and skier!) is organizing a group trip next April in BC. Would be v entertaining.
Rail advocates in Utah + Colorado are pushing for a regional ski train network ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, aiming to better connect major mountain destinations and ease growing winter traffic. If it moves forward, it could reshape how people actually get around ski country in the Rockies. Very into this.
The North Face signed an 8 year partnership with US Ski & Snowboard, becoming their official performance apparel partner through 2034. This includes the Olympics in 2030 + 2034!
A new ski pass has entered the villa. The Snow Pass is a new multi-mountain ski ticket product coming to the Northeast this season. Each pass offers 2 days of skiing/riding at each participating mountain, plus discounts on additional visits. Very curious to keep tabs on this.
Olympic freeskier Hunter Hess found himself at the center of a cultural moment after making a comment about feeling conflicted representing Team USA which sparked political backlash and notably, a response from Trump, who called him a "real loser”(world's biggest eyeroll, truly). Hunter did what any amazing person would do and launched The Real Loser Project, selling “Real Loser” hats and tees, with 100% of proceeds going to Stoked, which gives underserved kids access to snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing. Iconic.
Ever wonder how you can protect a glacier? Throw a blanket on it! This team successfully covered 13,000 square meters of surface to sustainably protect this glacier in the Swiss Alps during the off-season. Very cool.
This is not a running newsletter (for that head over to The Sweat Lookbook) but I was captivated by this. Arc’teryx partnered with a local confectioner to create a branded “yokan” (red bean paste jelly) which serves as a natural alternative to gels for trail runners in Japan.
Skiwear’s ~summer era~
There was a time when summer collections from ski brands felt a little… obligatory. A few logo tees, maybe a hiking short, tossed onto the website while everyone waited for the real excitement of fall skiwear launches. But over the past few years, something has shifted. More and more mountain brands are building year-round identities and the summer collections are no longer an afterthought. They’re becoming compelling extensions of the worlds these brands have already created in winter.
The most interesting ones don’t just swap ski pants for bike shorts. They preserve the same emotional pull: the fantasy, the styling perspective, the lifestyle aspiration!
SENIQ just launched its first-ever print (+ first-ever collab!) this morning with athlete/artist Kellyn Wilson of TOGS called The Strange Garden. The print is a weathered vintage gingham in a soft green-meets-early-grey-blue that somehow feels both nostalgic and technical at once. The three-piece capsule includes the Dirtpop Trek Jacket, Tectonic Pant, and Trailmix Skort, all designed to blur the line between performance gear and everyday styling. Think trail functionality paired with feminine silhouettes and thoughtful styling details that feel equally at home hiking, gardening, or grabbing coffee afterward. I’m especially obsessed with the contrast of the sweet gingham against SENIQ’s signature technical fabrics. As excited as I am to wear the skort on-mountain, I also can’t wait to style it with a baby tee + sandals for around town :) SENIQ founders Valentina Thompson + Madi Hilson were my first Substack interview and it’s the coolest thing ever to see their growth!
Halfdays also dropped its summer collection a couple weeks back, with a campaign titled Summer Has Range and it does! This collection feels less “hiking girl” and more movement-focused in the broadest sense: pieces designed for women who move between workouts, errands, outdoors, and travel without wanting to fully costume-change for each. The Ynes Tank, with its lettuce-edge detailing and smocked fabric, was an immediate favorite, as was the Julie Quarter Zip in an incredibly soft ribbed knit (perfect for a mid layer). I’ve noticed several women recently in Solidcore and Barry’s wearing Halfdays tanks/shorts for their workouts which has been super cool to see. Halfdays CEO/co-founder Ariana Ferwerda talks often about the growing overlap between outdoor + activewear, and this collection really leans into that shift. These are pieces that feel just as natural on a trail as they do walking into pilates.
Peak Performance has taken things in a slightly different direction by leaning into golf which is very interesting to me. The collection includes technical polos, skirts, dresses, and a shell short-sleeve anorak that feels unexpectedly chic for the course. It still carries the clean Scandinavian sport aesthetic the brand is known for, of course.
I think what’s most interesting about all of this is that ski brands are starting to realize they don’t need to disappear for eight months of the year. The strongest ones are building complete lifestyle ecosystems now, not just winter uniforms. And increasingly, the summer collections are becoming influential in shaping a brand’s identity. Now we just need some warmer weather!
An interview with Ken Fulk, interior designer + creative director.
If you’ve been here since last Memorial Day, you already know this one. If you’re newer to Slopeside – hi, welcome!
Ken Fulk is one of those people who’s really difficult to categorize. Interior designer is technically accurate but wildly undersells it – he’s more of a world-builder. Over the past 25 years he’s worked on homes, hotels, private jets, and restaurants for tech titans, musicians, and Pulitzer winners alike, with a signature theatrical flair that makes everything he touches feel like it has a story behind it. He’s the creative mind behind The Goodtime Hotel in Miami (with Pharrell), Creative Director at Major Food Group (Carbone, etc.), and co-founder of Felix Roasting Co, which if you’ve been to the Aspen outpost inside Hotel Jerome, you already understand why it made this newsletter.
The New York Times profiled him last May, which felt like perfect timing – we’d just talked mountain design, alpine aesthetics, and how he breathes fresh life into traditional rustic tropes. In the off-season, I like to turn my attention around to other corners of mountain life that are also exciting to me, like interior design, so here’s Ken!
A quick note on cadence: in the off-season Slopeside slows down but you can expect a few reads throughout the summer!
If you enjoy this letter, please share with friends! Feel free to respond here with ski-related intel, new products you’re loving, or just to say hi. Thanks for reading 💌
Appreciate the lovely feature & kind words!🤍 Send pix when you style your skort!! Dying to see how you build the look with your top tier eye for function + style 🙏