All images: Courtesy of Elan Skis
Industry legend and mohawk maestro Glen Plake is hitting the road for another year of his iconic Down Home Tour. What started as a honeymoon excursion for Plake and his wife, Kimberly, in 1991, the Down Home Tour is a grassroots effort to celebrate the soul of skiing. Rather than flock to the mega-conglomerates, Plake’s Down Home Tour lands at mom-and-pop ski areas across the country.
“Small, local ski areas are the soul of the sport. They are where skiing has its roots, where friendships are made, and where the good times live on,” says Plake in a recent press release. “The Down Home Tour is all about celebrating that spirit—the real culture of skiing. It’s about embracing the fun, the freedom, and the friendships that come with it.”
After a several-year hiatus, the Plakes are back in the bus for the 10th iteration of the tour and will be rambling around Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana this season to share the stoke of skiing. Intentionally unstructured, the Plakes will follow their hearts and the snow, dropping in to independent ski areas across the Mountain West unannounced. If you see the Big Red rig in your local lot, you’re in the right place.
“Elan has always been about celebrating the good times on the mountain,” says Elan’s U.S. Product and Marketing Director, Ben Fresco, in that same press release. “We’re thrilled to have the Plakes back on the road with the Down Home Tour, bringing the culture of skiing to more communities and inspiring people to get out and ski with the same energy and passion that Glen embodies. You never know when and where you might share a chairlift with the legend himself.”
Follow along on the Down Home Tour via Elan Skis’ social media (@elanskis) with the hashtag #DownHomeTour and #AlwaysGoodTimes for updates and highlights from the road.
