MINI in the Mountains – artistic piste signage for the Burton European Open 2015. Geoff McFetridge presents a “freestyle signpost forest”.

Munich/Laax. MINI is presenting the Burton European Open snowboard competitions for the fifth year. Alongside the spectacular tricks on display in the slopestyle and halfpipe contests, the brand has established a new discipline over recent seasons: out-of-the-ordinary art installations at the icy heights.

Whereas last year saw urban art illustrator Andreas Preis present the MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST on Crap Sogn Gion in Laax, the 300 or so snowboarders gathered at the Swiss resort this year will be treated to an unusual “Schilderwald”, or “signpost forest”. MINI and the Canadian illustration and animation artist Geoff McFetridge have reinvented familiar piste signage with illustrations inspired by the view through a freerider’s eyes. The results are artistically creative graphics the size of traffic signs, which deconstruct the familiar view of a snowboarder’s white world and play with the viewer’s perception.

The Canadian’s sketches are known for their simplicity. They often tread the line between the figurative and the abstract and intuitively tell a story using powerfully communicative imagery.

MINI in the Mountains can be viewed during the Burton European Open taking place in Laax, Switzerland from 29 January – 1 February 2015 on the slopes around the Crap Sogn Gion glacier. MINI is globally involved in cooperative ventures and sponsorship in the field of action sport. As a partner of trending sports, MINI supports young and creative athletes and as such promotes the further development of the sporting discipline. MINI has been the official Presenting Partner of the Burton Global Event Series since 2011.

The Burton Global Event Series presented by MINI is held over the course of the year in four countries on three different continents. As well as the Burton European Open in Laax, the Series also takes in the Burton US Open, the Burton High Fives in New Zealand, the Burton Rail Days in Japan and various Burton Mountain Festivals.