ooking good on the slope is
just as important as keeping
warm. Advanced skiers tout
this philosophy at Vail, Col-
orado, as do beginners at
Boyne Mountain, Michigan.
Norwegian Stein Erik-
sen, a 1952 Olympic gold
medal winner, knows the importance of
fashionable skiwear. With more than 30
years of skiing experience, he has wat-
ched the skiwear industry explode.
"Fashion has inspired people to
make that first step on the snow," says
Eriksen. Eriksen is still trail-blazing on
the slopes and has an opportunity to
fashion-watch as host of the Stein
Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah.
His wife, Francoise, owns ski
boutiques in Utah and Colorado and
notes the skiwear trends. "People want
to look good on the mountain," says
Francoise Eriksen. Dull and drab ski
outfits are passe. Color and pattern are
the ski fashion trends for the 1990s.
Stein and Francoise Eriksen both
note an exciting skiwear inclination: The
look as fantasy oriented.
"Skiing allows you to express
yourself differently. There are no boun-
daries," observes Francoise Eriksen.
Skiers have the opportunity to
dress up in costumes on the slopes.
The Eriksens often see staid
businessmen wear bright and bold ski
fashions. There's a no-holds-barred ski
dress code.
Another ski fashion giant who
recognizes ski fantasy dressing is Don
Schwamb, executive vice president of
Bogner of America, an internationally
acclaimed skiwear manufacturer.
"It's an exciting industry that gets
people stimulated. The look is fantasy
oriented," states Schwamb.
The 1990 Bogner skiwear line can
fulfill any fantasy. Some of the in-
novative themes are inspired by the
Orient, Santa Fe, Hollywood, Bavaria
and the Alps.
The Santa Fe theme has a faux fur
collared parka with Navajo-inspired em-
broidery. The retro-mountaineer theme
is in natural colors. An example of
Hollywood glitz skiwear is a one-piece
suit in satin and wool with silver stud
accents, which sells for $858.
If themes are one's fantasy, skiers
can be noticed by the neon colors.
Bogner offers a complete line of hot col-
ors, as does Kaelin Ski by K-Sport
International.
The 1990 Kaelin Ski manufacturer
offers colors brighter than fluorescent
lights. Kaelin even names the colors
with bright and bold tags: purple piz-
zazz, lotta lime, lipstick pink, bodacious
blue and ultra aqua.
Although the neon colors are still
fashionable in America, Francoise
Eriksen notes that European skiers favor
softer colors this season. She notes the
continued popularity of the fantasy
themes, patterns and prints, and out-
fits in army green for a continental look.