Johnny “Foon” Chilton

Wanting to create a soulful ride and move skiing in the direction of surfing, where riders feel and appreciate the difference of locally made hand shaped boards, Johnny founded Foon Skis in 2011.

A local Whistler legend, trained cabinet maker and former professional skier Johnny is credited with skiing many first descents around the world, often with friends and fellow pro-skiers Trevor Petersen and Eric Pehota. His most epic adventures include first descents of Mount Deborah, Alaska; University Peak in the Wrangell Range, Alaska and the iconic east face of Mount Tantalus just south of Whistler.

Johnny’s epic quests have been featured in countless ski magazines including Powder, Skier, SKI, Ski Canada and Backcountry Magazine and in movies such as the 2001 classic Ski Bums, Locomotion by Christian Begin and Hand Cut by Sweetgrass Productions. Johnny spent 15 years helping the big ski brands design better skis that could be put to the test in the in the harshest conditions both in Whistler and the remote backcountry. Find out more about how Johnny was the driving force behind the successful Head Monster line and his philosophy of “one school”

Today, Johnny is out riding with Kye Petersen, Hoji (Eric Hjorleifson) and Matty Richard, some of the biggest innovators in the game today. Out there, they talk about design needs, what works and what doesn’t. These conversations coupled with Johnny’s know how go into design ideas that can work for any skier.

Johnny’s wife Lisa is equally accomplished in the mountains. She is the operations manager at Coast Range Heliskiing, a Lead Ski Guide with the Canadian Ski Guides Association, Level IV Ski Instructor with the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance, and a Level 2 Member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Lisa’s ski career highlights include the first descent of Mount Queen Bess and Petersen Peak in the North Coast Mountains and the second descent of the South Face of University Peak in the Wrangell Range, Alaska, with Johnny. Together they are raising their son Tye (A.K.A. Tyfoon).