…Not really, of course.  It’s a ski joke… Downhill… Get it?

Gibson have collaborated with, ski manufacturer, Marker Völkl to produce a couple of ski-culture (my words) guitars.  Some new skis from Völkl were inspiration for the Black Les Paul Custom below and the V above is inspired by Marker’s Rule The Mountain slogan.

The guitars will be built at the Custom Shop in Nashville and will be on display through the winter before being auctioned at the SIA Show in January.  The proceeds from the Les Paul will go to Protect Our Winters, an organisation of winter athletes dedicated to raising awareness of climate change and the V’s proceeds will go to the family of Shane McConkey, a skier who died in March.

“These guitars are stunning,” said Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz “We know there has always been a strong association between music and skiing, particularly in the ski films, so to be part of this with another top tier manufacturer like Marker Völkl is very exciting for us.”

While Henry might be grappling a bit desperately for a ski connection there, we quite like seeing interesting designs for guitars.

Now, how about an SG with a picture of Roger Moore skiing off the cliff with the union jack parachute?