Pro Skier Cole Richardson Talks Creativity, Ski Movies, and His New Sponsor, Salomon

After a heavy, life-threatening crash in 2023, the professional skier Cole Richardson felt compelled to tell his story. 

He’d hit a tree, suffered a long list of injuries, and was left wondering when—and if—he could ski next. Miraculously, though, Richardson was back on snow within months. In recounting his journey to and from the brink, he chose a non-traditional path, making a deconstructed ski movie with help from his outerwear sponsor Arc’teryx and the new wave ski magazine, Hard Pack.

The novel result, Intermission, was an in-person gallery exhibition in Tokyo and New York. It featured video clips, photos, interviews, and other kinds of media.

Richardson’s injuries ended up being one focal point of the show. But it was, more broadly, about his life as a skier and the sport itself told through the perspectives of three different visual artists: Marvin Leuvrey, AF Webb, and Leo Hoorn. The large-scale production also tipped Richardson off to the brand that would eventually become his next ski sponsor: Salomon. 

To show him how Intermission could look, directors often pointed to past photos or videos Salomon had commissioned. Richardson, who has a keen appreciation for the artistic side of outdoor sports, enjoyed what he saw across Salomon’s departments, from sports style to snowboarding. 

“I realized that Salomon's working with the best directors, photographers, videographers, and creative talents right now in the world,” he said.

As his tenure with his previous ski sponsor, Head, wound down, he chose his next home. Salomon recently broke the news by sharing colorful, eye-catching visuals from Richardson’s latest Japan trip this month. While there, he leaned on Salomon's QST X, a floaty, 116mm underfoot fat ski. He also enjoys the QST Blank, but hasn't settled on a favorite yet.

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“Right off the bat, I was like, this is definitely the right place for me and my vision,” Richardson said. “I have a lot of goals and ambitions outside of just my skiing, and seeing where Salomon is at as a brand, it felt like it really made sense.” 

Richardson isn’t someone who stays in one lane. He has, of course, drawn recognition for his surfy, signature talent in the snow, throwing fresh flakes into the air with quick slashes. But he also pursues other outlets, including photography, videography, and zine-making. 

This is, in part, what kept Richardson busy during the pair of injuries that started in 2023. Not long after he recovered from the collision, he blew his knee on a film shoot in Alaska, forcing him to take another break. While sidelined, Richardson had an opportunity to expand his skillset with Intermission and other projects. He's since bounced back, but the passion he’d kindled remained, even after returning to the snow. 

“I've found so many ways to bring everything I learned from my time off of skis, and find ways to bring it back into my career,” he said. “That's been really fulfilling for me, to find the balance.”

Before we spoke recently, he’d spent the day laboring over a graphic for an upcoming project. A new zine of his will appear at the upcoming Arc’Teryx Academy event in St. Anton, Austria. And during the Salomon Japan trip, he hosted another exhibition alongside a crew of skiers, photographers, and videographers. 

The show, called SOGA, starred Richardson and Tenra Katsuno, a fellow Salomon athlete, as they skied the snow-laden slopes around Niseko. Their moves were documented by Baptiste Sjöström, a cinematographer, and Matteo Challe, a photographer.

SOGA was similar to Intermission but smaller in scope. The latter had a big production crew—there were creative directors on site, 3D renderings of the gallery space, and the team knew where every piece of art would be placed in advance. But at the Niseko gallery, Richardson also appreciated the pared-back, DIY method, and hopes to explore it further. 

The crew put SOGA together quickly, and featured work produced only the week before or just a few days prior. The show started at 1 p.m., but amid the rush, they didn’t finish setting up until 2:30 p.m. When visitors looked at the photos or videos, Richardson and others could tell them, “Oh, we shot that three days ago,” alongside providing context. Instead of sitting at a table signing posters, Richardson spent the night chatting with people who walked through the door. 

To him, there’s promise in continuing to augment the ski movie model—a largely unchanged staple for decades—with multi-media. He isn’t alone, joining a growing crowd of skiers tinkering with how we gather and enjoy skiing, from live bands to accompanying print releases.

“I think we've been doing the traditional premiere for too long, and I think it only makes sense that we find a new way to communicate,” Richardson said. “It doesn’t need to replace anything, it’s just a way to add a little bit to the experience.”

That might distill what Richardson brings to Salomon best: an overarching hope that he can find more fresh takes in skiing. It’s still too early to say exactly what that looks like, but Richardson teased that something with Salomon is already in the works. He plans to ski hard all season and, in trademark fashion, added that the final result will have “more than just a film component.”