From $44.25
Skiing starts before you ever reach the mountain: checking the snow report all week, waxing skis in the garage, the early drive up with boots on the floor mat. Then it's the first chair of the morning, cold air on your face, and that long, quiet carve down fresh corduroy. This piece holds all of it in one word, with SKIING in bold, squared-off varsity capitals and the two I's standing side by side like a pair of skis. Each sign is handcrafted and hand-cut from a single thin sheet, then finished in hammered black or hammered silver for a fine, grainy texture. It measures 14.75 inches wide by 5 inches tall, about a pound, so it fits a narrow wall, the space over a doorway, or a row of gear hooks. Hang it in a ski cabin or a lodge-style great room, over the boot bench in a mudroom, in a skier's bedroom, or with other sport words on a family wall. A fun gift for a ski racer, a new skier after a first season, or the friend who never misses opening day.