According to Adweek, a new print ad by independent McClain Finlon depicts Breckenridge Ski Resort snowboarders as members of an exclusive gentlemen’s society.
Breaking in the October Snowboarder and Transworld Snowboarding magazines–as well as 20 x 24-inch posters–the full-page ad stars the Colorado resort’s sponsored snowboarders, all of whom live and snowboard in the Breckenridge area.
Instead of their usual attire–baggy pants, T-shirts and cap-covered shaggy hair–the ad positions professional boarders Steve Fisher, Chad Otterstrom, Mike Casanova, Ryan Thompson and Todd Richards as perfectly coiffed members of a private social guild. Wearing prep-school sweaters, loafers and ascots, the athletes are shown lounging around a red leather club chair in Denver’s historic Phipps Mansion.
Accompanying text describes the teammates as “upstanding lads” who spend their leisure time rescuing kittens and attending bake sales.
What Adweek fails to report is the growing dissatisfaction among Breck locals and visitors alike over the number of punks–many of whom happen to ride snowboards–that have infiltrated the town in recent years. From this new ad, it’s pretty clear Vail Resorts, which owns the Breckenridge ski area, wanted to tame the boarding beast and make the area safe for skiiers again, both on and off the mountain.
