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July 2016

Trailblazers :: James Niehues

Trail map painter for resorts across North America.

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SAM: Why do skiers and riders love trail maps?
Niehues: A ski map is used like no other map. Most maps are used to get around, and indeed the ski map has that purpose. But with skiers it’s more than getting around the mountain. It’s a social thing. As I ride up the lift, the skiers next to me are pulling out the trail map and planning their descent. And, as they call it a day at the bar or café, the chat turns to which runs they skied—and out comes the trail map to recollect that trail’s difficulty, condition, or just the view.

SAM: What is your favorite part of painting trail maps?
Niehues: I love to fly above our marvelous outdoor terrain, whether it’s ski resorts or National Parks, looking down and seeing herds of elk, shimmering lakes, and the white undulating terrain of ski slopes. It’s hard to beat! But I am very fortunate: from the photo flight I return to the studio and work on the composition of the elements. It’s a puzzle that I really enjoy putting together in the most effective way to relate to the viewer. The painting is always an exciting stage of each project.

My job first and foremost is to produce a map that is easy to understand. But beyond that, I like to think that the image is an instant realization of the potential experience, which draws the individual in to explore and dream.

SAM: How did you get started in the trail map game?
Niehues: As I was entering high school in the 1960s I was bedridden for three months with nephritis. My Mom bought me an oil painting set and I started painting scenery from magazine photos to help pass the time. From there I got involved in art and printing. In 1986 I relocated to Denver and started working for a legal graphics firm. In 1988 I met Bill Brown, the trail map artist of the 1970s and ’80s, and my ski map career started. For a couple of months I would get up at 3 a.m. and paint trail maps, then go to my full time job. Before long I quit my full time job, and very soon after, a new ski magazine, Snow Country, contacted Bill to paint featured resorts. Bill referred them to me. For the next five years I produced a full-page spread of the issue’s featured ski resort.

SAM: How did you meet Bill Brown, and how did he get you started?
Niehues: I contacted Bill with hopes he needed an assistant. He had a new interest in video, though, and was ready to leave trail maps behind. He saw my portfolio and decided I had the potential to follow in his footprints. Bill was a great influence in developing my own style. He shared his experiences and emphasized the importance of aerial photography.

I also visited Hal Shelton’s studio—in the early 1960s, Hal painted the first ski map as we know them today. He was painting landscapes, and being an avid skier, presented the idea of a trail map to Vail. His trail map vision caught on, and he produced ski maps into the ’70s. Hal’s and Bill’s mastery of painting, and their willingness to help me achieve similar results, were paramount to my success.

Several other noted artists began painting trail maps, too: Donald Moss from New England, Berann from Europe, who painted a few U.S. resorts, and Murray Hay painted Canadian resorts.

SAM: What was the trail map business like in the ’80s?
Niehues: The process was much more time consuming. I used to send out fliers to promote my work; now, my website serves that purpose. Digital photography has made it easier, and faster, to obtain images of the mountain. The initial sketch and following artwork is the same, but instead of mailing them back and forth, I make digital files and email for approval—which can take one day, instead of a week or two. The actual painting is the same today as when Hal and Bill were painting 40 and 50 years ago. But, again, the printing process is faster now. The client can have the finished product, which they can use at any size, within a day.

SAM: What is the most challenging aspect of painting maps?
Niehues: A complicated mountain with opposing slopes is always a challenge to show on a flat sheet of paper. Many distortions are required to have everything match up and seem right to the skier on the slopes. Credibility is very high on my list of musts.

SAM: What is your favorite work-related memory?
Niehues: I get to meet so many interesting and pleasant people in the industry. I think it has something to do with working in a field that has to do with recreation, environment, and passion. All those meetings, even those with a mountain lion joining us under the conference table (that happened at Telluride, honest to god) are good memories.

SAM: How do you expect the mapping business to change?
Niehues: I have hopes that hand painting will continue. Rad Smith, who had been making computer-generated maps, is beginning to paint trail maps by hand, because he couldn’t get the results he wanted using a computer. I am happy to help him along. As I start to retire in the next few years, perhaps he will pick up the brush where I left off, and carry the tradition into the future.

I sincerely hope I am wrong, but I worry that as people come to accept computer-generated images, we’ll see more and more very sterile renderings that misrepresent what the ski resort has to offer. The artist’s interpretation of the scene, paired with the naturalness that his paintbrush can create, remains the superior method of expression. A map is not just an accurate directional guide, but also a means of dreaming and reflection. 
See Jim’s portfolio at jamesniehues.com.