Watershed Series

Pete McBride knows watersheds—intimately, instinctively—from the frosted peaks where they’re born to the parched canyons where they disappear. A native Coloradan, McBride spent the first half of his life on skis, racing gates and chasing winter, before photography and rivers carried him down a different path.

After decades documenting the beauty and vulnerability of rivers—especially the Colorado—across film, print, and countless miles on foot, McBride has returned to his skiing roots to collaborate with Wagner Skis. Their shared mission: to tell the story of water, frozen and flowing, through art and craft.

The result is the Watershed Series—four custom ski designs that weave McBride’s award-winning imagery across Colorado-built Wagner topsheets. Each graphic traces a different chapter of the river’s journey, from snowy headwaters to its thirsty desert terminus.

In collaboration with American Rivers and The Nature Conservancy, the four designs—Flow, Rapid, Alpenglow, and Wild—remind us that every turn we make on winter snow is part of a much bigger system. The storms we celebrate, the flakes we chase, the mountains we love: they’re the source of the waterways that sustain us and the West. Learn more about Pete McBride and his ski designs here. 

The Colorado River needs our support now more than ever. As decision makers plan for the future of the river and the water it provides to nearly 40 million people, American Rivers is urging decision makers to remember the river and ensure a future where the river flows to the sea, native species thrive, and water is managed wisely for generations to come. Learn more and join the call at www.americanrivers.org/wagner.