James Niehues Releases Utah Trail Map Collection to Raise Funds for National Ability Center

After recently announcing retirement in October, James Niehues, the author behind the trail maps at most major ski areas, is releasing another collection of original works.

• Related: The Making of a Trail Map: A Behind the Scenes Look With James Niehues and Sun Peaks Resort, BC

James Niehues began painting aerial views in 1986 and produced his first trail map in 1988. Over his 30+ year career, he has painted over 350 maps of regional aerial views, as well as for many major resorts all around the world. Each map is hand-painted and carefully crafted by Niehues using brushes and airbrush watercolors. Using aerial photography as a reference, he manipulates proportions just enough to include every detail while still maintaining the integrity of the mountain. This allows for a detailed and accurate map to guide skiers and snowboards around mountains all across the globe.

To finish out his 30+ year career, Niehues began releasing original collections back in October. The first release included original paintings as well as sketches. Proceeds from select paintings of this collection raised $70k for the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame. In this next release, he is giving back to the community of Utah by donating proceeds from one piece in his latest original collection release to the National Ability Center.

On November 18, he released another collection, including original paintings of Alta, Utah Olympic Park, Sundance, and other regional areas. From this collection, 100% of the proceeds from the piece “Park City and Cottonwood Canyons” will be donated to the National Ability Center. The NAC is an organization that is dedicated to helping those with disabilities get out and explore through adaptive programs like skiing, rock climbing, archery, and other recreational activities.  

Danny Glasser, CEO of the National Ability Center, says:

“We’re incredibly grateful that James has chosen NAC for this release of Utah originals, and appreciate his generosity to help us continue providing outdoor experiences to people of all ability levels”