World Cup winners to take home a piece of Aspen after the weekend’s ski races
Courtesy photo
This weekend, the world’s top men’s alpine skiers will dash down Aspen Mountain, competing against each other — and the clock — for a chance to take home a golden piece of Aspen.
This year’s World Cup trophies were designed and fabricated by Colorado’s Lisa Issenberg, who has been creating awards for major events for several years, including the Birds of Prey World Cup and the U.S. Grand Prix.
Most recently, she created the X Games Aspen medals and knuckle huck rings, made with locally sourced, upcycled materials.
The World Cup trophies this year represent the Aspen Snowmass brand and the dedication to the sport of ski racing, according to Issenberg. The trophies showcase a clean, bold aspen leaf engraved with the ski discipline.
“It’s this beautiful, organic shape, but it’s fresh, it’s clean, it’s bold,” she said. “These are the words used often when describing something two-dimensional, but they translate through what I wanted to see in the final piece and also the sport in a way.”
“These athletes, their accomplishment — it’s bolded. The run has to be clean and sharp, and so it’s just kind of carried through. That’s part of the whole vision when creating it,” she said.
Issenberg is the owner and founder of a Ridgway-based art studio, Kiitella, named after a Finnish word that translates to “thank, applaud, or praise.” Since 1991, she has been creating art across all metal disciplines — from fabrication of large-scale steel sculptures to small-scale jewelry design.
Part of what makes her unique is her artistic process of blending industrial design and handcrafting. She is largely inspired by the Japanese term “wabi sabi,” which means to find beauty in imperfection. This sentiment ruminated through her design of this year’s trophies.
According to Issenberg, when the pieces underwent the industrial processes at the end, they looked too perfect. To capture the heart of the event and the dedication to speed, she intentionally “roughed up” the pieces.
“It felt a little dangerous, but I did it and it worked out nicely,” she said.
In addition to her one-of-a-kind designs, she is dedicated to creating art that does less harm to the environment. With this, the trophies were made of recycled, locally-sourced steel from Montrose, made with little to no waste.
“Since everything’s custom-designed and fabricated, I use just the amount of material needed,” said Issenberg. “The shapes, which are cut out of a sheet of steel, are nested as tightly as possible, so there’s minimal waste.”
She and Deric Gunshor, managing director of event development for Aspen Skiing Co., worked together to conceptualize the design of the trophies. Their professional relationship goes back to 10 years, when she designed the Power of Four awards.
“He has a really sharp, quick, creative vision,” said Issenberg. “Showing him designs, things that I know are better than others, he’s often right there with me and in agreement.
Courtesy photo
“I really value his feedback and vision, and plus he knows his Aspen Snowmass brand intimately,” she said.
In addition to representing the Skico brand, she designed the trophies with the intention of capturing a piece of Aspen.
She acknowledges that these athletes dedicate their lives to their sport and, over time, have accumulated many trophies. For her, she wanted these athletes to memorialize their win in Aspen.
“The World Cups are all over the world, so it’s great to represent the memory of their win in Aspen,” said Issenberg.
To reach Kristen Mohammadi, call 304-650-2404 or email kmohammadi@aspentimes.com.
