User:Hughclow/sandbox

Jim Adlington, is the founder of Planks Clothing a rider owned ski clothing company run by passionate and creative skiers.

Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1976, Jim first fell in love with skiing at a 50 meter long dry slope in Kidsgrove. For over a decade, he honed his skills as a skier there, dreaming about seasons in the Alps. At 18, Jim set out on his first Winter season and took any jobs he could that allowed him to ski every day. In 1998, he was sponsored by Salomon, Oakley and Vans, and a new journey as a professional skier began. This led him to traveling the world and skiing with some of the world’s best freestyle skiers, such as Candide Thovex, Tanner Hall and Jon Olsson. Along the way, Jim acquired a huge amount of friends, contacts and experiences in the industry that would later form the platform for Planks to flourish and become the company it is today.

Jim has been immersed in the ski industry for 20-plus years, developing a global network of influential contacts and partnered with Hugh Clow to found Planks in 2009. Jim is a Director of Planks, providing technical expertise and remains its creative force, driving the company vision. Instrumental in product design, development and testing. Set-up all four Planks shops and honed the brand identity. Continues to influence product development and act as the face of Planks.

"The passion for skiing still drives us today and is the lifeblood of Planks, maintaining a Grassroots heritage that makes it stand apart from other brands in the industry. I first fell in love with skiing at a 50 meter long dry slope in Kidsgrove, UK. At 18, I set out on my first winter season in Val d’Isère and took any job that allowed me to ski every day. In 1998, I was sponsored by Salomon, Oakley and Vans, and a new journey as a professional skier began. This allowed me to travel the globe and ski with some of the world’s best freestyle skiers and acquire many friends who would later become the platform for Planks to flourish and become the company it is today.

'''On my journey I began to notice a clear shift in popularity from snowboarding to free-skiing, and with it came the need for a skier’s brand. Since establishing Planks, this shift in the industry has exceeded all of my expectations. Free-skiing is now a World Cup sport and takes center stage at the Winter Olympics; terrain parks are dominated by young skiers and the emergence of backcountry freestyle has been remarkable.”'''

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/jobs-in-adventure-skiwear-brand-planks