Born in Norway - the land of skiing - GRABS is the creation of two minds united by performance and design.
The founders
Birk Ruud is an Olympic Gold Medalist, X Games champion, World Champion, and a pioneer of modern freeskiing. He has spent his career pushing the boundaries of creativity and control, and knows exactly how equipment can unlock or limit what’s possible.
Thomas Bache-Wiig is a Cornell-educated architect and product designer with over 30 years of experience in design and manufacturing. His work blends precision, simplicity, and craftsmanship, transforming Birk’s idea into a piece of functional art.
Together, they’ve reimagined one of skiing’s most overlooked tools, and built something entirely new.
THE CONNECTION
BARELY CHANGED.
Skiing changed. Materials changed. The way a pole connects to your hand barely did.
IT STARTED
WITH SKIING.
Birk Ruud saw the problem from the skier's side: a connection that had barely changed while skiing had.
The question was simple: could a ski pole stay naturally connected to the hand without relying on a traditional fixed strap?
THE DRAWING
BOARD.
Thomas Bache-Wiig turned the idea into a product problem: connection, movement, release and balance.
FORTY PROTOTYPES
BROKE BEFORE ONE DIDN'T.
MADE FOR THE
WAY WE SKI.
GRABS is built around skiing first: connection when you want it, movement when you need it, and a system designed to let go under sufficient load.
SEE THE POLES →WE'RE NOT DONE.
The system keeps changing with the people who ski it.
SEE THE TECH →
THE CONNECTION
BARELY CHANGED.
Skiing changed. Materials changed. The way a pole connects to your hand barely did.
IT STARTED
WITH SKIING.
Birk Ruud saw the problem from the skier's side: a connection that had barely changed while skiing had.
The question was simple: could a ski pole stay naturally connected to the hand without relying on a traditional fixed strap?
THE DRAWING
BOARD.
Thomas Bache-Wiig turned the idea into a product problem: connection, movement, release and balance.
FORTY PROTOTYPES
BROKE BEFORE ONE DIDN'T.
MADE FOR THE
WAY WE SKI.
GRABS is built around skiing first: connection when you want it, movement when you need it, and a system designed to let go under sufficient load.
SEE THE POLES →WE'RE NOT DONE.
The system keeps changing with the people who ski it.
SEE THE TECH →