An Endless Winter with Lucas Swieykowski
As the sun crept over a sawtooth ridge of the Andes, Argentine-born Lucas Swieykowski pulled on his gear and stepped outside the backcountry hut. In the silent pre-dawn, the frigid air rushed into his face and he could see the conditions were perfect: eight inches of fresh powder, light winds, clear skies and minimal avalanche danger on the north faces. Lucas and the camera crew headed out to chase the orange and pink sunrise across the mountains and down thousands of vertical feet to Nahuel Haupi Lake below.
As a professional freerider and mountain guide for nearly 15 years, Lucas knows gear. When he dropped in for first tracks that morning it was a special moment because he wasn’t wearing just any jacket. He was wearing one he helped develop with KJUS.
“We tried to come back to this wow effect and create some unique images and experiences, so I hope we can create a vision of that landscape and the gear in people’s minds,” Lucas said.
Lucas’s year is split between two hemispheres, living in a perpetual winter. From May to November, he calls Argentina home, savoring the winter season in the southern hemisphere. When that season winds down Lucas heads to his second home, the Engadin region of Switzerland. This bi-continental existence has allowed him to live his dream: endless winter, boundless skiing.
We caught up with Lucas between his Patagonia season and his Alps season to talk about everything from design process to taking calculated risks to what makes his home mountain of Cerro Catedral so special…
KJUS: What kind of problems were you trying to solve for in designing the LUCAS FRX jacket, and what features were most important to you?
“First, the process is always a compromise. We are discussing things like, ‘Which direction should this zipper go with the ventilation?’ or ‘Would is it better to have it here in the forearm or is it better to have it under your armpits?’
For the Lucas FRX I kept coming back to the idea of a lightweight layer system with a really great top jacket that you can layer underneath. Then if you're hiking for many hours, you can still have your jacket on for protection, but you have a good breathing system and it's lightweight. Even when it’s warm I want a real jacket, not just for when it quickly turns windy and cold, but also for safety. If you’re on hard pack and you slip, you are likely to get a bad scrape on your arm or back.”
KJUS: The stretch factor in this in this jacket is a significant feature. What does that allow you to do on the mountain?
“The Hyper 3D Stretch technology is a great feature, especially for in the back. When you're moving your arms this stretch gives you extra movement so that you don't feel so tight in your jacket. I also ski most of the time with a backpack of safety gear. Sometimes with a backpack your jacket's going feel very tight, so this stretch gives you extra movement especially underneath the shoulder and on the back.
The FRX is way more comfortable than any other jacket I've had in the past. On the mountain we are moving all the time and we don't want to be restricted in our movements. We can actually be doing all these movements without any compromise. For example, we're walking up and we're taking our skis on our shoulder the jacket’s not restricting me, it's giving me freedom of movement.”
KJUS: What else was important to you for functionality on the mountain?
“I really like this integrated hood that I can wear over my helmet, or it has adjustable straps for when I'm ski touring. It's very important like to have a very comfortable hood just in case it's really stormy or if it's also really sunny. The shape of this hood is actually very comfortable to wear without or with your helmet, and it's important for those big storm days.
Another feature that I like about jacket is the ventilation in the front; many of the KJUS jackets like the Men's Ligety Jacket and Men's Lasse Airflow Jacket have it too. It's kind of a hidden zipper and if jacket is closed in a normal way, you don't really see it. But you can open it and then you have a whole vertical ventilation system and that for ski touring. You automatically have way more breathability without compromising your protection from the elements.
All these features like the breathing system, the stretch, the hood, the shoulder patches to keep your backpack in place, they all add up to a highly technical jacket that’s also minimalist. All these different features make this a free ride jacket that’s a very comfortable and effective piece.”
KJUS: When you transition between the North and South hemispheres do you feel like you prepare and approach a big day differently?
“Mostly I approach a day differently based on the snow conditions, and whether you’re skiing in a resort or in the backcountry. But the country matters too.
For example, if you're skiing in the Alps or in the U.S., where you know you have access to rescue teams, you can be a little bit more aggressive in your skiing. When you're in Patagonia and skiing between these huts or in remote places where you know that you cannot call the helicopter to come and pick you up if you have any accident or emergency, then you automatically ski in a more conservative way.
If there is an accident in a matter of seconds it can go from an amazing day or experience into a very bad situation. When organizing a big ski day, an expedition or a multi-day mountain tour, the more you plan the better, and you have the most chances to be successful.”
KJUS: Tell us about one time where everything absolutely came together for you, whether you were filming or competing, and the conditions and the setting were simply perfect.
“I ski 200 days a year and I'm always in the search for powder, so there are many days I think, ‘OK, this is the best day ever!’ But that takes planning and dedicating time to look for that perfect day.
The different conditions are also what I like about the sport. Every single run is different to the run before when the snow is changing so fast and so much that you always need to be adapting to the conditions. You adapt to the snow, to the terrain and the speed that you want, and the more control you have, the more fun you have.
The more you do it, the better you get and the better you get, the more fun it is because you can be more playful with a terrain and have different experiences. It’s not just going from the top to the bottom, it’s playing with the features and the snow and how the terrain is shaped. It becomes like a very big playground and you create flow from top to bottom, that is the best.
That's why you always hear many skiers are yelling! When you hear people screaming while they ski that's good. People are having fun and at the end of the day, that's how you want to be having fun, you want to be enjoying it out there with your friends and your partner, in the right gear to be able to stay out all day.”
KJUS: You’ve been a brand ambassador and athlete with us for 15 years, what has changed over that time period?
“Seeing the process year after year is fascinating. I look at the gear we used 15 years ago and then all the progress to what we have today and it's such a big and positive change.
Every year there is something new to talk about or to try or test. It’s great to be part of the process, being able to sit with a design team and share my experiences on the mountain. I tell them how I use my gear and they say, ‘Ok! We can solve for that!’
A jacket or a piece of clothing can look very nice on the computer on the design table, but then when you actually take it out in the backcountry, it doesn't really perform. With the design team at KJUS I’m able to go test, see what's working, what's not, and then come and combine this information together to bring the best piece out for people to enjoy. It's a fun process and I'm happy to be involved.”
KJUS: Finally, what makes your home mountain of Cerro Catedral a special place?
“For me being back home for the winter, it’s where my family lives, it's where all my friends are. So it's a very nice time when I'm down there because I get to see friends and family all the time.
And, truly, the mountain is amazing: the ski resort, and then also the backcountry because we have very good access to super epic terrain.
I can say I've been lucky enough to ski in a lot of different places throughout the world, and the views in the place we have no comparison to any other resort or any other location. The terrain that we have is really unique for ski touring, you have so many possibilities and you have great backcountry access. If you like a combination of slope skiing and backcountry, it's really, really special because also you have some like mountain huts and different valleys behind the ski resorts. You can always combine resort skiing with a few days sleeping in mountain huts. It’s just…incredible.”
With every season, every ascent, and every descent, Lucas Swieykowski reminds us of the boundless possibilities that come with living in sync with one’s passion. Through his partnership with KJUS, he continues to inspire skiers worldwide to push their own limits and embrace the winter lifestyle in its fullest expression.
Lucas' Favorite Midlayer
“One of my favorite layers to go with the FRX jacket is the Liam Hooded Midlayer Half-Zip. It's a midlayer that is a soft fabric made of synthetic and merino wool, with a hood. On those cold days you can wear the hood over your cap or your beanie while you're walking, and it keeps your neck really nice and warm. I'm always surprised with all the new features that they're putting into the garments.”
For over two decades, Argentine-born Lucas Swieykowski has traversed continents, chasing winter from Switzerland to Argentina and back again. With his unwavering dedication to skiing, Lucas has crafted a life where snow, slopes, and the thrill of winter sports define his every season. As a KJUS athlete and ambassador since 2009, Lucas embodies the brand’s spirit of performance, adventure, and innovation.