In Canada’s realm of seasonal extremes, wildfire season becomes to ski season faster than you can say “Pumpkin Spice Latte.”
The country’s winter-obsessed have a new toy to test out this year: the Air Dock.
No, it’s not from Apple. The Air Dock, a slickly engineered piece of hardware for skiers, hails from Après Equipment.
Après Equipment is a Vancouver-based startup founded by Ethan Harvey, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.
“Skiing has always been more than just a sport for me,” says Harvey. “It’s a lifestyle, an identity, and one of the purest forms of freedom I know.”
The flagship product from Harvey’s Après, the Air Dock, promises a floating-like experience for one’s skis.
Traditional ski management solutions are practical, but not beautiful—the way skis themselves can be.
In response, the founding vision of Après Equipment is about enhancing the aesthetics of the sport of skiing when one is not actively flying downhill.
“Like a lot of skiers, I felt let down by the ski storage options out there,” recalls Harvey. “They were practical, but too bulky and distracted you from the skis themselves.”
The startup was born from a combination of passion and curiosity as well as a “drive to create products that celebrate the things we love and elevate them into something lasting.”
Crafted from stainless steel, the Air Dock is carefully designed with a sleek profile to hide the docks behind the skis from most angles, creating an illusion that the skis float unsupported, transforming the gear into “an artistic centerpiece.”
“The gear we choose is an extension of [our] identity,” Harvey believes. “Our skis aren’t just tools for the mountain, they’re works of art, each carrying memories of unforgettable powder days, bluebird skies with friends, and daunting challenges overcome.”
The Air Dock got its launch on Kickstarter earlier this year, when Harvey’s campaign sold out in minutes, ultimately reaching 3,000% of its initial funding goal. The company is current plotting a restock.
“I wanted to create a way to showcase them proudly, turning them into a feature of the home, the same way a painting or sculpture might be displayed,” he said.
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