The Catamount Gear Box retail shop is freshly restocked with new gear and apparel. This latest round of apparel features some fun and classic Catamount designs that you may recognize, or you may not. For those looking to learn a little more about it, we put together a brief history.
Snuffy the Cat
Snuffy the Cat takes us back the farthest of any of the "new" apparel designs. Although the exact years of use may be lost to time, the design itself was Catamount's official logo from roughly the early 1960's through the mid to late 1970's. Named after the logo's illustrator, Robert "Snuffy" O'Neil, Snuffy the Cat is featured sitting on a chairlift, wearing skis, and overall looking very pleased to be skiing Catamount. Snuffy O'Neil himself is credited as a "ski cartoonist," and was a member of the 10th Mountain Division, a Ski Patroller in Aspen, and an Instructor at Catamount throughout his life. His aptly referred to Catamount Cat character, Snuffy, appeared in a wide variety of different scenes, designs, and placements, and has even been recreated by other enthusiastic Catamount artists over the years. A number of Snuffy's can be found to this day in Fat Cat and in the Ski Patrol medical building.
The Snuffy design that you will find on our new apparel and stickers (coming very soon) is the version that was Catamount's official logo.
The Mountain Cat
The more recent of the two designs still has aged origins. While it doesn't have an official name, and has gone through a number of variations and iterations over the years, I like to refer to it as "the mountain cat." The mountain cat is exactly that; a silhouette of a mountain lion or catamount that has been actively used in Catamount logos as far back as the 1070's and as recently as the early 2000's. The earliest use of the mountain cat that we have been able to turn up is an ad listed as being from the 1976/77 season. It was typically used alongside a stylized font where the 'M' appeared like a mountain, and in later iterations, it was centered in front of a golden, sun-like orb. Given the relatively recent end to the mountain cat logo, you are especially likely to recall seeing it on maps, brochures, and apparel in your lifetime.
The mountain can design that you will find on our new apparel features the exact silhouette from the original logos and designs, but with a new mountainscape design inside of it. The mountainscape is based on Catamount's own ridgeline, the ridgeline of other mountains behind it, and the silhouette of the base lodges.