Jim Adlington, Planks Clothing (Bonus Episode #18)
Jun 14, 2021, 08:54 AM
In this Ski Podcast Special, I speak to Jim Adlington, founder of the UK snowsports clothing brand, Planks.
We talk about Jim's early ski career, from Kidsgrove to Val d'Isère; becoming a sponsored athlete with Salomon; and how he ended up creating the Planks brand.
Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code
Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout.
SHOW NOTES
We talk about Jim's early ski career, from Kidsgrove to Val d'Isère; becoming a sponsored athlete with Salomon; and how he ended up creating the Planks brand.
Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code
Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST’ at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout.
SHOW NOTES
- Jim Adlington is founder of the British snowsports brand Planks Clothing
- Jim learned to ski at Kidsgrove Dry Slope
- His first experience of snow was in Chamonix
- ‘Blizzard of Aahhhs’ was a hugely influential extreme ski movie
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTsAsYmPgDk
- His first seasons were for Skibound in Courchevel and then Val d'Isère
- You can listen to our Pat Sharples Special Podcast here
- The Salomon 1080 was a revolutionary ski
- This is a good article about the evolution of skis
- Jim persuaded Eric Davies, MD at Salomon, to give him a pair and subsequently became a sponsored rider
- He worked closely with photographer Ross Woodhall
- https://youtu.be/AKkyygSGa0U
- Planks Clothing started in Val d'Isère in 2008, with just hats
- Their iconic phrase is ‘Drop Cliffs, Not Bombs’
- Even from the start Planks was upcycling by used old stock
- Two thirds of the Planks collection uses recycled yarns from Repreve and has used 1.5m waste plastic bottles
- In 2019 Planks linked up with GB Snowsports with many of the athletes in the Park+Pipe team wearing their kit
- Planks have had a James ‘Woodsy’ Woods signature series since 2016
- https://youtu.be/IQ_iOkqmaNo
- The company has seen growth of 40% pa over the last few years, with sales to 46 countries worldwide
- Their recent crowdfunding campaign smashed their target and has raised almost £1m so far