Who is James Niehues?

If you look at a number of ski maps, especially those of larger areas, you'll notice a name far off in one corner. It's an artist's signature, really: James Niehues.

Fortune magazine calls him the Ski Trail Map Painter. In an interview with the magazine, he says "I've probably done 75% of the large resorts."

Niehues renders photographs of mountains and topographical maps into art, and says that creating trees takes up 80% of each job.

You can read more about Niehues at his website. There we learn some of his art:

"Whether it’s a ski map, a regional or a resort property all perspectives are rendered in a way to best show all aspects of the terrain. In many instances, distortions are necessary to bring everything into a single view."