Wndr Named Winner In Sports & Recreation Category For Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation By Design Awards

NDR Alpine was founded in July 2019 as a brand under the umbrella of Checkerspot, an advanced materials company that specializes in the development of next-generation polyurethanes and textile coatings and finishes.

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, WNDR Alpine last year unveiled the Intention 110, the first-ever ski to feature the Algal Core™, a ski core that utilizes high density, algae-derived polyurethane stringers to increase torsional rigidity and stability without adding weight to the skis. The brand’s inclusion of algae-derived materials not only helps boost the ski’s performance but decreases the use of petroleum-based materials.

 “We had been expecting that core skier would quickly gravitate to the opportunity to ski harder on new materials, but we never expected to enjoy the accolades of such a wide-reaching publication like Fast Company so early on, said MATTHEW STERBENZ, Founder/GM. “To me, it shows that consumers are genuinely looking for products built with new, better ingredients. We’re exceedingly proud to be delivering that through WNDR Alpine’s products and ski materials platform.”

One of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards recognizes people, teams, and companies solving problems creatively at the intersection of design, business, and innovation. Sports and Recreation is a new category this year for the awards, which are decided by a panel of renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online and in the October/November 2020 issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands Oct. 20.

The Innovation by Design Award from Fast Company is the latest accolade for WNDR Alpine, now gearing up for its second winter season on the market. Earlier this month the brand was honored with awards from Freeskier Magazine, Men’s Journal and Backcountry Magazine, and it has also been featured in Outside Magazine and POWDER.