‘Selkirk Sidecountry’ wins second phase of G3 Skigraphiks

Vancouver, British Columbia – G3 and retail partner MountainGear.com this week announced the second winner of G3’s annual SkiGrphiks Contest. The winning graphic, by skier/artist Ben Jepson called ‘Selkirk Sidecountry,’ will grace a special-edition version of the G3 Tonic being sold exclusively by MountainGear.com.

“Selkirk Sidecountry embodies the exuberant energy that we all feel while riding fresh snow and hints at the raw, unforgiving essence of the natural world we love to explore,” said Travis Nichols of MountainGear, who helped choose the winning entry. “This particular design stood out not only because of its unique color-palette, but because of its rough-hewn look and feel — a sensation that evokes the spirit of the Selkirk Range of Northern Idaho, a region that’s deeply entrenched in Mountain Gear’s backcountry heritage and familiar to so many of its employees and local customers.”

The SkiGraphiks Contest, which runs in four separate segments over the winter, continues this month with the third phase in concert with retail partner BentGate.com. The contest currently running will produce a limited-edition graphic on the topsheet of G3’s Fever, one of its new 2010/11 Descent Series skis. Later this month, G3 and BentGate will announce the winner from that segment of the contest, and consumers can purchase the limited-edition Fever for delivery later this winter.

To check out the winners of the first two phases, visit g3skigraphiks.com/winners. For more on the contest or to submit an entry for one of the final two phases, visit g3skigraphiks.com.

The SkiGraphiks competition, which has two more segments between now and Feb. 15, encourages people to submit their graphic designs for a ski via the G3 web site. The top four designs are produced in limited-edition skis.

This year’s challenge has four rounds, in concert with four partners — online retailers Backcountry.com, MountainGear.com and BentGate.com, and Backcountry Magazine online, each with a different G3 ski, so consumers have an opportunity to enter each month through February.

Here’s how it works: skiers can submit their designs at www.g3skigraphiks.com, the public gets to vote on them, and, like Jepson, the winner each month will get a pair of G3 skis with their graphic on the topsheet.

In addition, during the first three months, the skis will be available on a limited basis to the public. Each online retailer affiliated with each respective month’s contest will take pre-orders for that particular limited-edition ski during the weeks immediately after a winner is named. The skis will be delivered to anyone who buys it within 30 days of the close of ordering.

At the end of the contest, one of the designs will be chosen as Grand Prize winner by G3. In addition to skis, that artist will win a quiver of G3 gear, including their choice of telemark or alpine-touring bindings, as well as an AviTech shovel, Carbon probe, Alpinist climbing skins, a Bonesaw and G3 ski bag.

About G3

Based in Vancouver, B.C., G3 Genuine Guide Gear is manufacturer of industry-leading gear for backcountry skiing. It has been making avalanche safety equipment since 1995. The G3 product line includes skis, alpine-touring and telemark ski bindings, climbing skins, avalanche shovels, probes and other ski accessories. G3 was founded on the principle that gear built for backcountry guides should be manufactured to the highest standards, which has helped the company gain a reputation as an industry innovator. For more information, visit www.genuineguidegear.com or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/genuineguidegear.