The 10 Best Vintage POWDER Ads of All Time

10. Oakley (1999): No Adult Supervision Needed

We've featured this ad in at least two other posts, but it's just too good not to include. The OG version of these glasses clearly made their stamp on the world of sports fashion because Oakley just brought them back, and this style is *all the rage* these days. The creepy backlit alien vibe and unhinged marketing copy are really just the cherry on top. What kind of technology do sunglasses have that would require adult supervision? How can sunglasses have a disregard for the rules? We don't know, but we don't care, and we can't see how confused you are too over our super cool shades.

9. Levi's (1977): Ski in Jeans

If this ad hadn't run in 1977, I would probably think it was a joke. Fortunately, it's not a joke and in fact a very real advertisement for the timeless sometimes faux-pas, sometimes trend of skiing in jeans. As far as ski magazine ads go, it's top tier and an instant classic. If only Levi's still made this line ... we hear skiing in jeans is cool again.

8. Whistler Blackcomb (2004): Feels Like the First Time (...feels like the very first time....)

Somehow this one evaded all of my "cringiest" picks, which is a real bummer given that it's peak cringe levels. That being said, it also got the Foreigner song stuck in my head immediately and did give me a good laugh. Would it land today? Almost certainly not, but I'll give Whistler the kudos for an iconic ski ad that has almost nothing to do with skiing.

7. Camel Lights (1984): Low Tar, Camel Taste.

You'd think a magazine dedicated to a sport that requires a certain level of physical fitness would stray away from cigarette ads, but the '80s were a different time. Today, pro skiers are all filling their morning protein shakes with creatine and who knows what other fancy supplements, and getting a non-alcoholic beverage sponsor is all the rage, but back then, there was no fitness regime more core than a Coors Banquet and a Camel for breakfast before you went to ski pow probably without a helmet. Our bodies are probably much better off now, but there's no vibe quite like smoking a cig at the bottom of the boot pack and still beating everyone up it.

6. Jay Peak (2009): No One Questions Anything.

I'm not even going to pretend to know what's going on here, but I think that's kind of the point. Despite a super weird visual, the tagline "No one questions anything" really drives the point they're trying to make home anyway for a pretty top-tier ad. Classic Vermont.

5. Mt. Bachelor (1996): Full Throttle

This 1996 Mt. Bachelor ad is just another reminder that ski area marketing has gotten entirely too tame. Photos of smiling families skiing groomers? No thanks. A blindfolded guy being blasted in the face by a leaf blower to simulate skiing what's undoubtedly Mt. Bachelor's best terrain? Now that's more like it.

4. Whistler Blackcomb (2002): Snowcat Freeride

"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?" is what Ian said when he initially included this ad in a roundup of unforgettable 2000s POWDER ads, and I don't think I could have said it better myself.

3. Nordica (1991): Feel the Breeze

No part of this ad really makes sense. Why are these two people naked? How does the imagery relate to the phrase "Innovation and Performance Syntech"? Does this imply that skiing naked is performance enhancing and innovative? (This one I can actually get behind). This feels like some iteration of the iconic Lange Girl posters but with a more ... aerodynamic ... connotation.

2. Jackson Hole (1991): Tired of Excessive Grooming?

Perhaps the best thing about this ad is that it compares a breed of dog often associated with wealth and status to Jackson Hole. Despite the fact that the purpose of the ad is to say that Jackson Hole differs from a poodle, there's a synchronicity to it. Whether it's that deep or not, it's a hilarious ad, and I'm a sucker for the creativity of ski ads that have nothing to do with skiing.

1. Spyder (1999): Hail Satan

Based on several of their ads from the late 90s and early 2000s, it kind of seems like the Spyder marketing team looked at each other in a meeting and said, "Just how unhinged do you think we can get?" and the result was this Satanic ad. It is fitting that the famously punk-rock skier Seth Morrison is the one in the ad, and on second thought, it feels pretty on-brand for him. Like Ian said, "The execs scratched their chins, thought about it for a little while, and, inexplicably, signed off on the pitch. Thank God they did."