Recognize this toque? 

This is the Gunde Hat, by Swix.  It was launched in 1974 and became one of the most recognizable toques in the world of cross country skiing.  You still see it at almost every major ski event in the world. 

Here...

...here...

...here...

...and so on.

The original toque was a marketing idea for Swix.  It was named after Olympic Gold medalist Gunde Svan, a Swedish cross country skier who won multiple medals at the 1984 Sarajevo and 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and five times World Cup champion.  Gunde trained and raced in the toque.

The colour rings around the hat represented the Swix wax colours that made up their wax line at that time.  They made the toque in two colours: red for racing, and blue for training.

We still sell the Gunde Hat, in both colours.  When we have it in stock you can find it here.  It has hardly changed at all since its first launch, and it remains our most popular toque.  

 And there you have it!  Happy skiing, folks.