Idea Files :: May 2023

The SAM editors had never seen a ski area use covers for skis and boards inside gondola cabins, but surely they exist somewhere other than the remote northern region of Japan’s main island where we found them at Aomori Springs Ski Resort. The cloth covers, available to grab at the loading area of the gondola, go over the ends of skis and boards to protect the windows inside the gondola cabin from getting scratched—and protect the other people in the cabin from getting bonked with a sharp ski or snowboard tip. These are especially useful if skis and boards are too fat for racks on the gondola door—or, as in this case, if there aren’t racks. Simple, practical, and clever.