For those of you wondering, ski music is essentially surf music with organs and the occasional sleighbell. There were a few attempts at translating the surfing craze into a ski phenomenon. From the Avalanches’ Ski Surfin’ album to Bruce Johnston’s “Here We Go (Surfer Boys’ Going Skiing”) single to AIP’s Ski Party and Wild Wild Winter films, the wintery exercise never quite yielded the lasting results of its summertime counterpart. Nevertheless, there’s something uniquely magical about this forgotten offshoot from the regular surf genre.

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The Glaciers' sole album, From Sea to Ski sits quietly on the outskirts of the surf and hot rod universe, collecting snowfall from a general lack of interest in the sounds therein. With a group of highly talented musicians, such as Hal Blaine, Ray Pohlman, and Glenn Campbell, it seems shocking that such a project would garner so little praise. 

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The album opens with the chiming of sleigh bells against Hal Blaine’s steady rock beat, as ‘Snow Plow Turn’ grinds its way along with blaring organs and a plethora of fuzz guitars. The ‘Snow Bowl’ is a rewrite of Dick Dale's ‘El Aguila (The Eagle),’ while ‘Aspen’ and ‘Holiday Hill’ offers much more of the same. By the time the guitar and organ open up ‘Slalom,’ it becomes clear that the Glaciers have no agenda to leave their heavy sound, and with the arrival of ‘June Mountain,’ it begins to be difficult to differentiate from track to track. ‘T-Bar’ does provide a new kind of beat and thus is a nice break from the hard fuzzed guitar sound that permeates the rest of the tracks though ‘Broadway (The Main Slope)’ sinks back into the same pattern as its predecessors. ‘Blue Ridge’ is a rewrite of ‘Baja’, and the album’s only cover, the tranquil ‘Moonlight in Vermont,’ is a breath of fresh air among its hard-rocking neighbors. ‘Pole Jump’ concludes the album and is once again marked by the hefty fuzz guitar and organ duets over thumping drums and echoey bass lines.

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In the case of the Glaciers, I admit, on first listen, I did not enjoy From Sea to Ski. My original pressing was a 2014 reissue from Rockbeat Records, which, I believe, taken straight from vinyl, sounds tinny and flat. Thankfully, the original press is not! On first impression, the Glaciers’ take on ski music is noticeably heavy with reverb-drenched guitars and aggressive percussion.

 

From Sea to Ski album is a treat! While many songs are in the same key (E major), there’s just enough creativity here to make it worthwhile tracking this little snow-laden gem down.