Skiing's Next Illustrious Map Designer Unveils New Work
Sometime in the past year or two, illustrator Rad Smith received a dream job offer: Keystone Resort, Colorado wanted him to paint their new trail map. As you might expect, Smith was on board.
Now, Smith, who's set to become the next big name in the ski resort mapmaking biz, is showing off the completed project.
Keystone commissioned the map update from Smith to include the soon-to-debut Bergman Bowl expansion. Said expansion revolves around the Bergman Express, a high-speed six-seater chairlift set to unlock 500+ acres of new terrain in the Bergman and Erickson Bowls.
Related: Colorado Resort Provides Update On New Chairlift
Previously, these bowls were hike access only. Starting this season, all that terrain will be a lift ride away.
And Smith, as you would expect of someone with his artistic talent, has captured the terrain expansion in gorgeous detail.
Keystone Resort
Smith's story is intertwined with another artist, the now-famous James Niehues. If you've visited a North American ski resort, odds are you've seen Niehues's work on a trail map.
However, in 2021, Niehues hung up the brush, leaving a vacancy -- ski resorts needed a new mapmaker.
Enter Smith, who previously worked as an environmental consultant. In pursuit of a new project, Smith contacted Niehues to ask if he would like to pass on the torch. Niehues happily obliged, and the pair have been exchanging knowledge since 2015, mirroring the relationship Niehues established with his mapmaking mentor, Bill C. Brown.
Hand painted maps are an essential part of the skiing experience and a reminder that, no matter how you slice it, sometimes you need to get away from the computer to produce something great.
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