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Flying Snowcats and Caffeinated Clif Bars—These 9 Unforgettable Ski Ads From the 2000s Show Much Times Have Changed

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 6:57 AM ET

Another week, another dive into the historical pages of POWDER.

This time, we’ve rifled through issues from the 2000s as we inch closer to the present day, discovering countless classic ads along the way. While ski industry marketing became decidedly less wild after Y2K, there were still plenty of inspired—and sometimes questionable—decisions made.

To help you peer into the past, we’ve gathered a list of ten of our favorite POWDER ads. Some are downright cool. We chose others because they memorably clash with modern ski marketing norms (making a sex joke to sell lift tickets? Comparing skiing to hard drugs? Welcome to the 2000s). Keep reading to see them for yourself.

This piece is part of POWDER’s Summer of Ski Nostalgia content series. Stay tuned in daily for more nostalgic articles.

You can also view all of POWDER’s summer nostalgia content here.

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9. Spyder Gets Moody

Dark and ominous, Spyder’s CR Johnson ad from 2004 feels oddly prescient. This one wouldn’t appear too out of place in the pages of modern ski magazines—chalk it up to the endless fashion trend hamster wheel. We got moody in the late 90s and early 2000s. We’re getting moody again.

8. Feels Like the First Time

One of two Whistler Blackcomb ads to make this list, the above spread is a reminder that only two short decades ago, sex jokes were fair game in ski resort marketing campaigns. Whether or not this ad would succeed in 2025 is unclear (given how that recent American Eagle advertisement went, our guess is it wouldn’t), but it’s definitely unforgettable in an Animal House kind of way.

7. The Skiing Addiction

Is skiing an addictive drug? No, of course not. But an obsession with peaks and deep snow is known to prompt poor decision-making. Those truly lost in the depths of skiing passion might sell their belongings, neglect their spouse, and ditch class (I mostly have a hard time not drowning in dirty laundry when winter starts). Another reminder that tastes have changed, this ad links skiing to the harder stuff. The name of the ski on sale—the Snoop Daddy—adds another layer of 2000s silliness.

6. Caffeinated Aerials

Hopefully, whoever decided to cram caffeine into Clif Bars got an enormous raise. With some protein and a buzzy jolt, they’re the perfect skier’s lunch, particularly if you’re hoping to ditch the lines at the lodge. This variety of Clif Bar probably sells itself, but that didn’t stop the company from tapping the late great Shane McConkey for some additional credibility back in 2002. Red Bull might give you wings, but scarfing down a few boosted Clif Bars can help you, like Shane, levitate.

5. The Boys in Red

Aside from the fact that Cloudveil no longer appears to make ski outerwear, this ad could—and should—be a modern campaign. It celebrates the folks who keep the lights on at our favorite mountains. Without hardworking ski patrollers and their avalanche control efforts, we wouldn’t be able to safely ski any of the inbounds classics.

Side note: If you were a fan of Cloudveil back in the day, give Stio a look—both companies have the same founder.

4. Jamie Burge Steps Out

The chunky sneakers and gray city streets tell you everything you need to know: this is 2002. Coincidentally, the above advertisement came out the same year as Avril Lavigne’s smash hit Let Go. While it would be hard to found out if someone in Spyder’s marketing department at the time was an Avril fan, the advertisement and Let Go share the same visual identity. Plus, the ad made pro skier Jamie Burge look effortlessly cool—not that she needed any help with that.

3. Catch an Avalanche?

To the uninformed, non-skier marketing executive, this ad has plenty of zing. "Catch an avalanche!" it proclaims, putting a gloriously fresh container of Speed Stick against mountainous background. There's one problem, though. When skiers head into the backcountry, there's one thing they're trying not to do. And no, it isn't forgetting to wear deodorant.

2. What Happens at Jay Stays at Jay

File this one into the zany bucket alongside Whistler Blackcomb’s upcoming talented snowcat. Something strange and mysterious is afoot at Jay Peak. But that, this ad suggests, is a pro rather than a con. If you want to behave like Hunter S. Thompson in his hotel room during Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, go ahead; no one will judge you in northern Vermont.

(Maybe don’t actually go that far—the stuffed geese seance is fine, though.)

1. Snowcat 360

In 2002, when this Whistler Blackcomb ad was published, a younger, trick-oriented generation of cooler-than-school skiers was dominating the zeitgeist. So much so, apparently, that Whistler Blackcomb felt comfortable running an advertisement that catered to their niche freestyle tastes (ski resort ads these days, you’ll notice, tend to favor fresh powder over booters and rails).

The end result earns a well-deserved position atop our ranking. It’s creative, zany, and eye-catching. I mean, a snowcat doing a 360? Who even thinks of that?

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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