snow

The sport of skiing gets a luxe boost this season from the automotive and fashion worlds thanks to new collaborations between Bentley, Paul Smith and high-end sporting good firms. Bentley has partnered with Swiss firm Zai on a "Supersports" set (top) comprised of handmade skis, poles and a ski bag worthy of bearing the famed British marque's moniker, limited to 250 pairs. The skis are fashioned from a special carbon fiber material called "Zaiìra" with a natural rubber core, and chromium-steel-infused carbon fiber for the flexible components backed up by Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites.

The Zai Supersports poles use the ExoGrid tech usually associated with the world of golf clubs. Each pair is priced at $9,800, making them some of the priciest skis on the snow. British designer Smith meanwhile has collaborated with Austrian experts Edelwiser on a pair of skis decorated in his signature multicolored stripes (above). Dubbed the Paul Smith Swing 162, at $1,000 a pair they're far more reasonable than the Bentleys. Every pair of Edelwiser skis is hand-made and built with state of the art materials like wood cores, laminated sidewalls and graphite bases for optimized flex and torsion characteristics.

[via Cool Hunting]

We checked out the upcoming Prada phones earlier today, but the new Prada Skis by Volant are far more appealing at the moment. After all - ski season is just hitting its stride while those phones won't be out for several months. The skis are limited edition with a silver finish and Prada's signature red strip in the center, as well as acid-etched logos in the topsheet and die-cut aluminum base logos. Volant has over a half century of experience at ski making and is well known for their high quality work, so it's a good match for Prada, which may be the first fashion house to make a big impact on the slopes in an area other than winter clothing. The skis will be available through Volant dealers. Price: $1,495, including Atomic's 4Tix binding.

Ski resorts aren't the only ones that can make their own snow. SnoWonder is "the most amazing man-made snow on the market," and is very similar to real snow in appearance and feel. Unlike the snow made by machines at ski resorts, SnoWonder is made with more than just water and low temperatures. The product was originally developed in Japan for use in indoor ski and snowboard parks and is is a nontoxic plastic based powder that, when combined with water, will expand, as snow, to 50-100 times its original volume. The snow can be used on any surface, with the exception of untreated wood, and is ideal for holiday decorating because it will last last for months indoors. It can also be used outside, although it is recommended that it not be used in direct sunlight, as the only thing that will make this snow vanish is evaporation. A spritz of water from time to time will keep it light and fluffy all year long.

Update: Read my review of SnoWonder to see if it lives up to the hype!

This Snow Frosted Tree in Pewter Urn looks a bit like something that was a prop in The Chronicles of Narnia last year. Fortunately, that only adds to the romantic, natural look that this tree brings to a room. It stands 5 feet tall and has no lighting built in to it, although you could certainly add an ornament or two if you wanted to bring some color to the elegant, but monochromatic, base look. Price: $160.

• Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado (12%)
• Big Sky Resort, Montana (10%)
• Crested Bute, Colorado (25%)
• Jackson Hole, Wyoming (10%)
• Mammoth Mountain, California (20%)
• Park City, Utah (33%)
• Swuaw Valley, California (15%)
• Stowe Mountain, Vermont (80%)
• Sunday River, Maine (92%)
• Taos, New Mexico (50%)
• Telluride, Colorado (17%)
• Whistler Blackcomb, British Colombia (7%)

If you are thinking about going skiing or up to the mountains this winter, a shearling bag is the best kind to take. Not on the slopes, of course, but shearling always look stylish and snuggly in cold, snowy places. This is the Borbonese Reversible Shearling Bag, with a soft, cream-colored shearling on one side and supple sheepskin on the other. To make the act of turning the bag inside out less of a hassle, the purse has double rolled leather handles that attach to loops at its top edge, which has a drawstring closure. The bag measures 4.75" x 11.75" x 5.5" and the straps have a 10" drop. Price: $1,500.