686 Welcomes Their First Skier with Signing of Parker White
11/15/16 Los Angeles, CA – Today 686 announced the addition of professional skier Parker White as the newest advocate for their GLCR collection of outerwear. The announcement sent shockwaves through the wintersports community as 686, previously thought of as a “snowboard only” brand since their inception 24 years ago in 1992, has never sponsored a professional or amateur skier. The addition of White adds a new dimension to 686, who in recent years has experimented with ideas and outerwear designed for purposes other than snowboarding with GLCR collaborations with Gregory Backpacks, Specialized Bicycles and most recently Cadence Collection.
“686 has always been a technical apparel company first and foremost,” explained Michael Akira West, founder and CEO. “GLCR (outerwear) has given us the opportunity to explore and experiment beyond our current boundaries. Parker and skiing are another way we continue to explore new avenues.” He continues, “The moment I met Parker, I knew he would fit into the 686 family. For us it comes down to personality and swagger more than anything they put on their feet”
White will begin wearing 686 GLCR outerwear and will be adding his input into 686 & GLCR apparel designs as early as Winter 2017/18. White will also be tasked with helping build 686’s future ski program, including team and communication.
White reiterated West’s comments about an instant connection between the two parties, “I’m so hyped to be on 686, for me it’s rare to really identify with a brand. After having been to the headquarters and linking with the crew the vibe just feels right. Not to mention they’ve got the highest quality technical gear to back it up,” he explained. “I am excited to collaborate and I know it’s only good things to come from here on out. F*ckin’ stoked.”
White joins childhood friend, and professional snowboarder, Forest Bailey on 686 as well as a diverse crew of GLCR advocates including 2016 Swatch Freeride World Tour Champion Sammy Luebke, professional snowboarder Matt Belzile, off-the-grid homesteaders and explorers Sean & Mollie Busby, snowmobiler and MoPros Racks founder Dave Tomassen, photographer Mike Yoshida and snowboarder and mountain man Frankie Devlin.
“Since its inception three years ago, our GLCR outerwear has always blurred the lines of snowboard and ski outerwear at point of sale,” explains Brent Sandor, VP of Marketing. “Parker White’s multi-faceted lifestyle and unique approach to skiing perfectly reflects the inspirations of our GLCR Collection and 686 as a whole. We are excited to get his point of view into the product as well as begin to build into the ski community through Parker.” He continues, “Historically, skiers have already bought our product, but we have never been a real part of the community or conversation. We are excited to venture into this new segment for 686 with such a talented and authentic individual building our program.”
“Parker White is an amazing all around human being,” adds Patrick McCarthy, 686 Team Manager. “For me it’s very important that the team is down with every decision and having Parker be a childhood friend of Forest’s was a perfect fit immediately.” He continues, “He’s a true all around talent – he hunts elk for weeks on end in the mountains of Montana, skateboards, rides motorcycles and snowmobiles and enjoys life to the fullest. He is exactly what we look for in a 686 professional rider, he just so happens to ski and we are fully supportive of that. Welcome to the 686 squad!”
686 fittingly introduced White with the headline “Thanks Parker for opening our minds.” Congratulations Parker on being the first ski athlete on 686.
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