Bentley

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind."
- Wilson Bentley

We've all heard the phrase "no two snowflakes are alike," but what you probably didn't know was that this discovery was actually made in the small rural town of Jericho, Vermont, by Wilson A. Bentley. He was a self-educated farmer that attracted the world's attention with his pioneering work in the area of photomicrography (photography of objects under a microscope). He adapted a microscope to a bellows camera, and after years of trial and error, he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885.

During his lifetime he captured breath taking images of more than 5000 snowflakes, all based on a common hexagon shape. His photos and findings were acquired by universities and published in magazines throughout the world.

Like all skiers, while riding the chair I occasionally have a snowflake calmly land on my jacket perfectly intact and take a close a look getting lost in awe of it's seemingly perfect geometry, imagining it to be a microscopic world of it's own. Showcasing Bentley's snowflake images on these skis gives them a one-of-a-kind look, while bringing this unique story and photography to the surface for more skiers to enjoy.

I’m building only 450 pair of this new Limited Edition graphic on The Metal ski and hand signing and numbering each pair so you have a unique ski like no one else. Like the snowflakes, these skis won't be around forever, so order your pair before they're gone!

If you're ever near Jericho, Vermont, take a closer look at Bentley's snowflakes by stopping in to the Jericho Historical Society.