Remember the Grateful Dead's First Skis From the 90s?
The Grateful Dead made their way into skiing long before the Atomic Bent Chetler, TGR, or any of the other ways the band seems to have become synonymous with parts of the sport.
Back in the day, when K2 Skis was based on Washington state's Vashon Island and was the biggest manufacturer of skis in the US, the brand released one of the first pairs of skis featuring imagery associated with the Dead.
In 1993, a limited-edition run of "Panther Dream" skis paid homage to a children's book of the same name, written by Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, who sadly passed away earlier this year at the age of 78.
The book taught readers about the rainforest and the environmental protection of unique ecosystems, so in accordance, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the skis was donated to environmental groups. The book was illustrated by Weir's sister, whose artwork was then adapted for the ski. Roughly 1,700 pairs of the skis were made, and each pair was numbered as part of the limited edition run.
K2 went on to make several more Grateful Dead skis, including the Lightning Rose LE, and the Dark Star, both of which currently sell on eBay for more than $1,200. A pair of Panther Dream skis is listed on eBay for over $2,000.
Later, they released the Wayback Steal Your Face collection and Quickstrike collection, which featured the Wayback 106 ski with red, white, and blue Grateful Dead artwork. The latest of these collections was released in 2023.
See below for an old news clip for the launch of the K2 Panthem Dream collaboration with the Grateful Dead. Keep reading for more.
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
These days, you can see more Grateful Dead imagery and artwork on Atomic's skis, thanks to skier and artist Chris Benchetler.
On a recent episode of the snowboarding podcast The Bomb Hole, Benchetler discussed his relationship with the band, how his work came to be featured at their shows, and how imagery related to the band ended up on his pro model skis.
Benchetler started learning to play guitar in 2018 so he could jam with friends like snowboard photographer, Aaron Blatt. He started by learning a few Dead tunes, which turned into listening to more of their music, and eventually ended up at a Dead & Co show.
Benchetler later learned that the Dead was interested in making (another) ski with a brand after having recent success on snowboard collaborations with Burton. After meeting with folks from the Dead's record label and licensing company, Benchetler offered up his pro-model ski for a Grateful Dead collab.
One thing led to another, which led to multiple limited-edition Grateful Dead Bent Chetler skis, Fire on the Mountain(2019), clips and artwork from Benchetler's films being projected onto the ceiling during Dead & Co's last run at the Sphere, and most recently, Mountains of the Moon(2026).
While Benchetler and Atomic may carry that legacy now, it's pretty cool to see just how long the Grateful Dead has been influencing the creative side of skiing.
Related: Chris Benchetler's New Film Takes His Grateful Dead Collaboration To The Next Level
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 11:42 AM.