Free Spirit Sports has come a long way since the days of selling snowboards, guns and fishing gear in 1992.
The snowboards are still there but the rest has gone, apart from the original owner Elmer Rorstad. His store is constantly evolving, with the latest addition being a commissioned mural by new and upcoming local artist aka Lowclass Art.
As an ode to the exploding backcountry boarding and skiing taking place in Roger’s Pass, Rorstad wanted a shop t-shirt designed to reflect this.
“Our customers who come to us to buy their backcountry gear were asking for great t-shirt designs,” he said, in a news release.
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| The completed mural. (Liz Rorstad photo) |
That’s when Benji was hired to produce the Roger’s Pass t-shirt.
Rorstad explained “We wanted a design not only to include the recreational side of the Pass, but also to reflect what it means in other ways to locals and visitors alike”.
A big one was including the train,which is a huge part of Revelstoke, plus the local wildlife.
Putting the design on the wall was a no brainer according to Rorstad.
“It’s a legacy painting really, done by a incredibly talented young artist,” he said. “Benji had the idea of doing a live art session, so people could drop by and watch him work.”
Andringa complete the mural last week and the public was invited to watch him at work. All sorts of people have enjoyed it for what it represents to them, like any art piece. If you look closely, there is a Norwegian troll in there somewhere, a nod to Rorstad’s heritage.
As for what’s next at Free Spirit, Rorstad is open to new things.
“We love coming up with new and fresh things to work on. We’re hoping to partner with Benji and Revelstoke Remax for the Lunar Art festival in September.”
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