Hold on to your plaid-patterned bowties; K2 Snowboarding and Original Penguin, the classic American sportswear brand, are teaming up for Winter 09-10 to create a high-end all terrain freestyle snowboard, boot and binding. The partnership marries K2’s technology and Original Penguin’s unique style to provide winter athletes with an eye-catching look on the snow. Original Penguin’s quirky-traditional take on fashion and K2’s high-performance technology will be literalized on the mountain, creating a combination unlike anything else.

“The collaboration is a way for us to provide our core customer with something that they have never gotten from Original Penguin while staying authentic to our aesthetic. There is great synergy between the two brands and lots of crossover appeal; I am confident it will be well received” says Daniel Lakhman, Director of Marketing for Original Penguin.

Known for staying a jump ahead of the trend, K2 approached Original Penguin last year to design a board. Original Penguin’s Creative Director Ann Payne dug way back into the archives for an exclusive selection of Original Penguin prints. With a vault full of fabric at their fingertips, the K2 and Original Penguin design teams joined forces to create a montage of classic patterns that would adorn K2’s newest board. “Penguin is clearly a cool brand with its finger on the pulse of design and style” said Jeff Mechura, K2 Snowboarding Global Brand Director. “Working closely with their NYC design team, we were able to develop package that both slays the hill and looks polished on the street.”

The finished look maintains the tradition of the Original Penguin brand while pushing the extreme sports area to new heights. The limited edition gear, which will sport logos from both brands, features the new K2 “Slayblade” board, “Maysis DBL BOA” boot and “Auto” binding.

The board’s Hybrilight construction results in an ultra light weight feel and the boot’s integrated Harshmellow dampens the vibrations and cushions landings allowing for maximum speed. Add Flatline Technology for the perfect balance of power and playfulness and the Original Penguin / K2 board becomes the most technologically advanced, highest performing arsenal ever assembled to slay the mountain.

The set will retail for $950.00 USD and be available at winter sport retail stores throughout North America and Europe starting August 2009.