How J Skis Fooled The Internet With 'Tesla' Skis On April Fools'
April Fools' Day is a time-honored tradition in the ski industry. At POWDER, we did our part, as did several brands that concocted fantastical and ridiculous product offerings.
J Skis, which went the extra mile with its fake Tesla skis, might've taken the cake.
To those wondering how those Tesla skis defied the laws of physics, good news: J Skis just broke the central tenet of magic—we're not complaining, mind you—and explained how they made it look like the supposedly battery-powered skis could slide uphill unassisted.
If anything, you can count on J Skis to give an April Fools' Day bit the attention it deserves.
Several years ago, the brand "debuted" velcro bindings with a surprisingly convincing product video.
A willingness to get silly is baked into J Skis' DNA. The brand was founded by freeskiing legend Jason Levinthal, who decided to make skiing "more funner" in the 1990s by creating a little company called LINE.
After running LINE for years, Levinthal split off to start another new company with the foundation of J Skis in 2013. He aimed to create a brand that, like LINE, does things differently. Two elements help set J Skis apart: direct-to-consumer sales (you won't find a pair of J Skis in a shop) and limited releases. Once J Skis sells out of a specific model, they're gone—forever.
Under Levinthal's guidance, J Skis has become an iconic, well-known brand that distributes skis with funky flavors you won't find anywhere else, like a pair adorned with Bob Ross' likeness.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Levinthal's involvement in the ski industry extends beyond J Skis and LINE.
As an employee of K2 Sports (LINE was purchased by K2 Sports in 2006), he launched Full Tilt Boots, which went on to become a staple brand in the freestyle skiing community. But wait, there's more—Levinthal owned 4FRNT Skis for several years after purchasing the company in a bid to save it from bankruptcy (4FRNT is still trucking along to this day).
Amidst this seemingly non-stop flurry of activity, Levinthal still makes time to run a good gag, which, I suspect, might be part of the secret sauce to his success. In skiing, working hard without remembering what we're all doing here in the first place—goofing off on a pair of wooden sticks—defeats the point.
Related: Guess Who Visited Chris Benchetler's Studio This Week
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