Keefer Lake Catskiing Custom Graphic

Keefer Lake Catskiing is a homegrown BC operation, located in the Central Monashees, just east of the Okanagan Valley. Keefer inquired about a fleet of Skevik Skis for this season and were also interested in adorning them with a custom graphic. To keep that local vibe going, it was only natural to bring in Vernon dweller and regular Skevik artistic contributor, Andy Stein, to bring the design to life. Andy has been responsible for some of our most popular graphics over the past few years, so when we hooked him up with Keefer owner/operator, Jeff Gostlin, we were confident that something great would emerge.

Gostlin wanted the design to be fun and colourful, and with the moniker for the graphic being "Keefer Madness", playing off the old anti-marijuana propaganda film, that felt like a sure thing.

I didn't know what I was expecting it to be, so I just started telling Andy some of my thoughts. This place has the nickname Keefer Madness, so I thought that would be a good name for the design. With that in mind, I thought something psychedelic would be a good place to start. Jeff Gostlin, Owner/Operator at Keefer Lake Catskiing

The graphic incorporates the snowcat, a timber framed mushroom in reference to their new lodge, and the Northern Lights, which on special evenings can be witnessed in full bloom from the lodge site. All of this is wrapped into a psychedelic and playful wonderland that was brought to life by Andy Stein.

I think Andy did an amazing job of getting the feel of the design, and I am really happy with the final product. We get numerous comments about the design from the guests that use the skis. Jeff Gostlin

Keefer outfitted themselves with a mix of Antons, Lokens, and Odas, which along with the Keefer Madness graphic, have been a hit with both the clients and the guides, with some guests contacting Skevik to recreate the package.

One of my lead guides was skiing them in early season conditions, we had some suncrust on the south aspects, and when we got to the bottom of the run, he was so impressed with the Loken's ability to hold an edge and cut through the crust he was smiling and told the entire group these were the best skis he had been on in those conditions. The Oda's are amazing in the deep snow, a true powder ski. The Anton's are great all mountain skis, very responsive to user input, and turn through the trees like no other ski I have been on. Jeff Gostlin

Keefer is brand new to the catskiing game and they’re certainly making a nice first impression with the Lodge that is being erected. Slated for an early July 2016 completion, the 9300 square foot palace is fully constructed of BC timbers, with numerous feature beams throughout.

Overlooking Keefer Lake, the lodge will boast a floor to ceiling rock fireplace, commercial kitchen, hot tub, sauna, games room, massage room, wine cellar, state of the art drying room, glass elevator and a perfect view of their "big air" jump from the patio. So you can show off for the other guests, or heckle from safety.

The lodge is fully off-grid, utilizing a solar energy plant and micro-hydro power system for electricity, outdoor wood boilers for heat, and a clean filtered water system. Gostlin is trying to use renewable energy wherever possible, even putting bio-diesel into the snowcats.

It’s great to work with other local companies and artists on projects like this, especially those, like Keefer, that share the same values.

All in all, I love the Skevik skis, and am happy to support a local company. It was important to me that these skis were handmade in the local area. I like to support the local community, and have tried to hire as many local staff as possible, buy my food from local farms, and support the local cheese farm, Triple Island Farms when we buy our cheese. Jeff Gostlin

The Keefer Madness graphic is available to any Skevik skier out there, just contact us to line it up. And there is no better way to test out those new skis than booking in for a few cat laps and hanging out in the terrain and lodge that inspired them, with the crew who made it all happen, up at Keefer Lake.