As pandemic lockdowns finally started to lift, the outdoor clothing brand Icebreaker, was looking for ways of connecting with their customers in person again.
Wildfire Events had the idea of creating an apres ski cabin at the base of blackcomb peak in whistler. Icebreaker’s mainly produced merino wool outdoor clothing for active people who love winter sports. People like skiers.
As skiers came down the mountain they were greeted with hot chocolate and fireplaces to hang out and warm up. The cabin was set up as a pop up store so that anyone interested could look through some Icebreakers merchandise, and staff could pitch their product to their ideal customer base.
When designing the cabin there was a lot to account for. The site was going to be tricky to get to, so it had to break apart into small enough pieces to be transported on small vehicles, but large enough that the structure could be assembled as quickly as possible. The event took place over a weekend in January, so daylight was scarce, and there was no power available to set up work lights. And the install crew would be slowed down by working in the snow with heavy coats and gloves.
The available site was 10’x20’ for the cabin, so I focused on keeping the structure as minimal and straightforward as possible. A bulky base allowed the floor to be levelled on uneven ground, and held enough ballast to get an engineer to sign off on the project to begin with. Then we created seven wall pieces, I arranged the structure of the wall pieces to feel like modern wall art, allowing the practical needs of the structure to be the ornamentation. A slanted, translucent ceiling faced the south of the site, since there was no power, it was important to maximise the natural sunlight, and the vaulted roof made the cabin feel open and roomy.
We finished off the design with a pair of sliding barn doors. This framed the entrance of the cabin, centering the product inside the cabin, and added some movement to an otherwise heavy structure.
The final product was an experience that felt immersive, but also relevant to the audience engaging with it. It was of use to everyone coming down the mountain, whether they wanted to engage with Icebreaker’s product or not.