Ski Haus Tee Challenge go ullr out!
challenge
When Ski Haus in Steamboat Springs announced its 2026 Tee Challenge, I jumped at it. The shop was looking for a new T-shirt design for its Chili Cook-Off, with proceeds going directly to Western Resilience Center.
approach
The theme centered on Ullr and Skadi, the Norse figures of snow, skiing and the mountains. My entry features Ullr, the Norse god of winter who's said to move swiftly across the mountainside.
concept
I wanted Ullr to feel like one of the locals, ready to drop into his first run of the day. Pairing a legendary Norse god with modern ski gear let me honor the myth while keeping it fun and wearable.
Creative strategy
Myth Meets Mountain: Ullr wears a horned Viking helmet with modern ski goggles, and his flowing beard gives the piece bold, graphic movement.
A Steamboat Reflection: Inside the goggle lens, a gondola, pine trees and an S-shaped ski trail tie the legend right back to Steamboat's slopes. That swoosh is the S from the Ski Haus logo, turning the shop's own branding into a trail for Ullr to carve.
A Rallying Cry: "Go Ullr Out!" plays on "go all out," set in angular, rune-inspired lettering that nods to Nordic tradition.
Design execution
two-color discipline
With a two-color max and no gradients allowed, I used white and aqua on a black shirt and built depth through line weight and negative space.
print-ready build
The artwork is a fully scalable vector file, with the Ski Haus wordmark tucked into the composition.
bold from a distance
The high-contrast, centered layout makes Ullr instantly recognizable, whether he's hanging on the rack or passing by in a lift line.
Tools used
Adobe Illustrator: I brought the design together in Illustrator, combining and refining the artwork and creating the rune-inspired "Go Ullr Out!" lettering. Working in vector kept the linework crisp and made sure the design scales cleanly for screen printing on any shirt size.
Canva: I used Canva to build realistic shirt mockups and put together the presentation for Ski Haus. It let me show each design in context quickly, so the owner can picture exactly how it'll look on the rack.
Beyond the contest
I also developed a small collection to share with the Ski Haus team:
- A Norse-inspired ski graphic carrying the Helm of Awe and a bindrune over a hand-scribbled blue backdrop.
- A matching pair built around a sketchy S-shaped trail, with a skier in icy blue for winter and a mountain biker in bright orange for summer. Together they give the shop a year-round apparel line.
10 out of 10!
I've worked with Nichole for several years, on many different projects. I own my own company and work as a branding expert and business consultant. I trust her with both my client's websites and also chose her to create my own site when I was ready to migrate over to a different platform. She is creative, responsive, very knowledgeable, solution-oriented and a pleasure to work with. It's not always easy to find designers who are both creative and good project managers and communicators. She is both! I highly recommend her for any design projects you have, whether it be website design, social media, branding projects, print design or marketing communications, like ads and email newsletter designs. 10 out of 10! Thanks for all your hard work, Nichole!
- Rachel LaFollette - The Angry Client Whisperer
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