up.bike is based in Traverse City, Michigan. If you take a look at a map, we're far enough north to know that long winters are inevitable, and to make the most of them, we're totally okay with snapping into skis to get outside. This past fall, as we were putting the final touches on our bike mounts, winter hit.
Hard.
We had enough snow to ski in early December, and with frigid temperatures through the holidays, we had plenty of time to enjoy the groomed trails. The only issue was how to incorporate a ski mount into our Wall Rail system. The first solution was simple, but not ideal. We tossed up two of our do-it-all Wheelset Hanger/Seat Hangers a few feet apart and piled skis and poles on top. It worked, but there were drawbacks. First, it took up about five feet or rail, or almost an entire wall. It was also a pain to dig out a single pair of skis or poles all piled on top of each other, especially with the mounts on a relatively high wall rail.
And so, our designers got to work. A few days later, we had a draft of the Gondola ready. We created a few to test, and after a tweak or two, we had it. The Gondola solves both of the issues associated with storing your skis horizontally. First, vertical storage allows you to store as many as a dozen pairs of skis in the same space as horizontal storage. Plus, you can grab pairs of skis and poles without digging through, dropping, and damaging your precious planks.
Winter doesn't last forever, and in a few more weeks our Gondola mounts will come off the rails to make room for more bike and tool mounts in the garage. Until then, we'll keep using them to raise our gear and remind us that for any problem, there's a smart and elegant solution.