Introducing Slug Skis | Single Handedly Bring Back The 80s To Australian Alpine Regions

Australia is famous for many many things, incredible beaches, exceptional summers, the oldest known civilisation on Earth. What it’s not so famous for is mountains, snow and skiing. But sometimes you have to ask, then how and why does Australia produce some of the best winter athletes on the planet and also some of the coolest and unique snow brands?We love snow brands and we also love small business, these two go hand in hand with a large collection of companies across Australia. We caught up with Matt from Slug Skis to find out more about what makes his small business so unique and where it’s going next. We also got to try out some of Slug Skis gear in Lake Tahoe during their record breaking season earlier in the year, by far our favourite piece of their collection was their Alpine Hoodies which are the perfect upper outer layer on those sunny days where you don’t need a full jacket.

Testing out the SlugSki’s range at Sugar Bowl Resort in California. Credit: SnowStash Who is Slug Skis?Slug Skis was established in 2020 By Matt Tickner AKA Slug during the infamous Victorian COVID lockdownsI’d always wanted to start a ski brand. It’s something that had been in the back of my mind for a few years. When lockdown started, I was really depressed. No one was able to go to the snow and I couldn’t see my friends, so escaping into this world of designing apparel kept me occupied. I found that people really loved the crazy designs and that there was an appetite for loud, vivid snow apparel. People got around it, so I decided to give it a crack!

Matt Tickner who is the owner of SlugSki’s up in the high alpine of Hotham resort. Credit: Slug Skis What does Slug Skis stand for?I always found that skiing culture in Australia is very different from the rest of the world. Australian snow culture is still very much stuck in the 2000s. Baggy over-sized clothes, dark colours and black everything. The Aussie Snowboarding “bad-boy” culture really dominated the fashion and attitude towards skiers. I always thought snowboarding was cool and was always friendly to them, but it really annoyed me the lack of respect and outright hostility directed at me for skiing. “why don’t you snowboard mate?” “skiing is so shit” blah blah….. I wanted to make everyone see that skiing is just as sick as snowboarding.I’ve always followed online Ski Forums like Newshoolers, Slvsh and Downdays, where Skiers in the US, Canada and Europe are just as bad-ass as the snowboarders. Landing jibs on huge rails and stomping massive jumps, wearing cool gear and getting as much as respect as anyone else on the mountain.It motivated me to start a Ski brand that could be cool and demand respect, despite being associated with what is often perceived as “daggy” skiing in Australia. I wanted to make cool 80s and 90s inspired snow apparel, that had loud colours, wild designs but still eye-catching, with street and hip hop influence.People frothed it. Including snowboarders. I reckon I actually have sold more apparel to snowboarders than skiers to be honest. And that makes me really happy, seeing them repping a Melbourne-based ski brand and loving it! That’s what it’s all about for me! We’re all one big family. I also loved seeing snowboarders give skiing a crack as well. We are making skiing great again!What apparel do you make?Slug Skis makes small batches of one-off, locally designed snow apparel. Our most popular products are the long-sleeve tees and Fleece hoodies. This year we released a waterproof hoodie and we have a new range of 100% leather Mitts dropping in a couple of weeks.The plan is eventually to make Skis and even snowboards. But we are growing slowly and adding 1-2 products each year. I want to make sure that every product we make is top quality and that takes times and expertise to execute.

Some of the coolest vest to wear around the village and to après are produced by Slug Skis. What are your favourite ski resorts?In Australia, it would have to be Mt. Hotham. It’s such a community mountain. Home to the steepest runs, the deepest powder and the best pubs! It has a lot of soul and great people that make the place come to life in winter. It’s a bit further away from Melbourne than other mountains, which means it doesn’t get as busy, but it’s definitely worth the drive. You have to catch one of DJ Eddy’s shows at the Genny if you get a chance, he gets the party heaving every time and his shows are loose! My favourite resort in New Zealand would have to be Cardrona. That place is sick. Queenstown and Wanaka are definitely ski towns you should put on your bucket list!In the northern hemisphere I’ve been to the US, Austria and France. They were all good for their own reasons, but I’d have to say that my favourite mountain was a little resort called Schlick 2000 in the Stubai Valley, Austria. The mountains there are huge, Schlick 2000 is just a little, local resort with only a few chairlifts, but I spent all day tearing up powder and tree runs with no lift lines at all. Cheap and cheerful. Plus who doesn’t love feasting on schnitzels and beer for weeks on end! I’d love to go to Japan, that’s it’s been difficult to get over the because of COVID, but it’s on the hit list for 2024.What’s next for Slug Skis?We try to drop a new product every year, I’m afraid that information is top secret. You’ll have to give us a follow on socials and keep an eye on the updates. It’s going to be something very cool! We are always dropping content on Instagram and Facebook, so come check us out! The main dream is make our own skis and snowboards right here in Australia. One day we will get there!