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alpenglow sports + chris crossen
By ccrossen | May 8, 2021
Alpenglow Sports Debuts New Local Artist Initiative
Tahoe City, CA: Community-centric mountain shop Alpenglow Sports is pleased to announce the launch of their fourth Local Artist Initiative. This collaborative play showcases the limited edition print “High Sierra,” from Truckee-based artist Chris Crossen. Created especially for Alpenglow Sports, short and long sleeve shirts with Crossen’s design are now available for sale exclusively in the store and at www.alpenglowsports.com.
Now in its fourth year, the local artist initiative was created to support North Lake Tahoe and Truckee artists through a mutually beneficial partnership. The concept is simple: work with a local, hand-picked artist, print their exclusive work on comfortable and good-looking apparel, and give the artist a portion of each sale.
The first Local Artist Initiative debuted in winter of 2016, featuring a mountain design by artist and Tahoe native Brian Orr. In winter of 2017, for the second Local Artist Initiative, Alpenglow chose a design by artist Bryn Merrell featuring a colorful interpretation of the Mt. Whitney massif. Last year, in winter of 2018/2019, another design by Merrell was chosen for Local Artist Initiative 3.0 titled, ‘A Skintrack Mind’.
According to Alpenglow owner Brendan Madigan, who came up with the concept after seeing amazing community art work in Provincetown, Massachusetts, “We do a phenomenal job of showcasing athletic feats in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. This is a way of life for many of us and what originally drew us to Lake Tahoe. However, I think Alpenglow, as a 40-year-old community staple, has a deeper responsibility to our community. The Local Artist Initiative is our effort to highlight art and culture in the same fashion as we do skiing and climbing, all while helping support the good work of a local artist. We feel that art in any context plays a vital role in adding value to the fabric of our communities and that by highlighting it we can add a little more of that goodness to the world.”
Chris Crossen comes from a family of artists and is primarily self-taught. He started painting during downtime on various expeditions and while working in the Canyonlands. Currently, he paints in a wooden shed stuffed with surfboards, paddle boards, wetsuits, leashes, broken fly rods, a small drum kit, and thousands of watercolor paintings. He has been exploring the Tahoe backcountry since the extraordinarily dry winter of 1991/92, (when the Toute Neige was still considered high tech) and has never looked back.
For all four years of the initiative, a quote from Marc Chagall has been particularly pertinent, “Great art picks up where nature ends.” If you are a local artist in the Tahoe area and would like to collaborate with Alpenglow Sports for the Local Artist Initiative 5.0 or in another capacity, please contact the shop at info@alpenglowsports.com.
Short and long sleeve tee shirts, as well as hats in multiple colors with Crossen’s “High Sierra, California” design are now available in the shop and online at www.alpenglowsports.com.
About Chris Crossen:
Chris Crossen is an artist and writer based in Truckee, California. Inspired by landscapes, wilderness, and environmental change around the world, his work employs elemental forms and experiments with perception, patterns, randomness, and natural processes. His pieces are included in public and private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Some of his art projects include work for O’Neill, Jones Snowboards, and the Sierra Avalanche Center. Crossen spends as much time as possible outside with his wife, Reini and two sons, Calder and Ansel. Visit his website, www.chriscrossen.com to view more of his work.
About Alpenglow Sports:
Alpenglow Sports is an original California Mountain Shop that for over 40 years has provided locals and visitors with inspiration, local knowledge, and the best equipment to enjoy the great outdoors. Based in Tahoe City, Alpenglow Sports takes pride in being community-minded and socially and environmentally responsible to ensure Lake Tahoe stays one of the best places to play, visit, and live in California. For additional information, please contact Brendan Madigan at Alpenglow Sports, 530.583.6917, or brendan@alpenglowsports.com
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