Ideas for · 2 min read · updated

Gifts for hikers and mountain people

Mountain people can name every peak on their horizon. Give them that horizon.

The short answer

Give them the mountains they actually look at: a pillow cut along the real ridgeline from their porch or a favourite summit, worked out from elevation data with the peaks labelled. Or a poster of the weather and moon from the night before a big climb.

The picks

  1. A pillow cut along the Teton ridge seen from Jackson Hole, with the peaks named, made with The Skyline
    Pillows

    The Skyline

    A pillow whose top edge is the real ridgeline from a pin on the map, with ridges layered by distance and the peaks labelled. Also as a die-cut sticker for the water bottle.

    Makes: Shaped pillow

  2. A framed poster of a bonfire on Alki Beach, Seattle under the moon, with that night's weather, made with The Sky That Night
    Walls & mugs

    The Sky That Night

    The weather and moon from the night before a big climb, painted, with the recorded numbers and their source underneath. Remote trailheads may have no station close enough, so check the date first.

    Makes: Poster

  3. A stone dad hat embroidered with Reply All Yacht Club, Est. 2019 and a shield, made with The Club
    Hats

    The Club

    A fake club for their one trail problem, like always swearing the summit is just over the next rise, with a crest and a faux-Latin motto embroidered on a beanie.

    Makes: Embroidered hat, beanie or patch

  4. A sticker sheet of six round merit badges under a Merit Badges of Adulthood banner, made with Merit Badges
    Stickers & patches

    Merit Badges

    Merit badges for the grown-up outdoors: type what they survived (the switchbacks, the bear canister, the 4 AM alpine start) and get a sash of badges.

    Makes: Sticker sheet, holo sticker or patch

  5. A navy, teal and yellow flag with a star on a flagpole, made with Flag Foundry
    Puzzles & flags

    Flag Foundry

    The flag of their hiking crew's made-up nation, with a mountain peak as the symbol, to fly at camp.

    Makes: Flag

Pick the spot they care about

The right pin is the one they'd recognise: their deck, the trailhead, the summit they keep going back to. The Skyline computes the ridge from that exact point, out to 250 km, and only labels peaks that are actually visible from there, so the names on it are the ones they'd point at.

For a view from a balcony or a fire lookout, raise the eye height instead of moving the pin. If you don't know their spot, ask about their favourite view; most hikers will tell you for ten minutes.

They will check it

Real horizons look flatter than memory, so the site lets you stretch heights from 1x to 10x and tells you which you picked. For someone who'll hold the pillow up against the window, choose honest-ish.

Questions people ask

Does the mountain pillow work outside the US?

Yes. The elevation data covers the whole world and the peak names come from Wikidata. Shipping is to US addresses only for now.

Can I put the name of a trail on it?

Yes. The title and the peak labels are editable, so you can name the view or a summit whatever they call it.

What's a good gift for someone who lives in the mountains?

Their own view. The Skyline cuts a pillow along the ridgeline they see every morning, with the peaks they'd name.