PITTSBURGH & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 14, 2026--
From first chairlift rides without panic to tackling black diamonds, ski culture has its own “unofficial” rites of passage. Few matter more than the moment skiers graduate from “pizza” to “French fry” – a milestone when skiers advance from learning the basics to moving with confidence. Now, as winter sports capture the spotlight this season and all eyes turn to the slopes, Ore-Ida is bringing its iconic crinkle-cut fries from the freezer aisle to the frozen mountains. Starting today, Ore-Ida is teaming up with premium ski brand Fischer Sports to launch Ore-Ida French Fry Skis – limited-edition skis inspired by the brand’s legendary crinkle-cut fries.
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Designed to bring Ore-Ida's signature crisp to the slopes, the skis feature bold crinkle-cut ridges, a golden fry-inspired design and a ketchup-red backdrop. Built with Fischer’s slope-ready performance, the skis pair playful Ore-Ida style with serious downhill credibility. With “French fry” already part of language on the slopes – shorthand for parallel skis – Ore-Ida is celebrating this milestone with a playful, limited-edition design inspired by actual French fries.
“For over 70 years, Ore-Ida has set the standard in the freezer aisle and has remained focused on always getting potatoes right,” said Claire Lukaszewski, Senior Brand Manager, Ore-Ida. “French Fry Skis are a fun, unexpected way to take our golden, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside fries from the frozen aisle to the frozen slopes and celebrate a moment every skier remembers.”
Founded on the Oregon-Idaho border, where both skiing and potatoes run deep, Ore-Ida’s collaboration with Fischer Sports draws on the brand’s roots and brings French Fry Skis to the states where Ore-Ida was born. The limited-edition skis will be available beginning February 1 for $250 and in limited quantities at select ski retailers in Oregon & Idaho, while supplies last. Visit https://www.kraftheinz.com/ore-ida/oreidafrenchfryskis to get information on the drop. After all, nothing says winter quite like crisp mountain air, fluffy snow and the crispiest fries on the slopes.
“Performance always comes first for us, but skiing is also about enjoyment and self-expression,” said Brian Landrigan, Marketing Director at Fischer Sports. “Collaborating with Ore-Ida allowed us to pair performance-driven ski design that’s built for smooth, confident carving with a look that’s bold, playful, unmistakable and built to perform on the snow.”
To celebrate the launch, Ore-Ida will bring French Fry Skis to life at Snowmass during one of winter’s biggest weekends. From Friday, January 23 through Sunday, January 25, fans can demo the limited-edition skis, make golden memories on the mountain and warm up between runs with a fry-forward après moment featuring hot, crispy Ore-Ida fries.
For more information, follow @oreida and @fischerski on Instagram and @oreidapotatoes on TikTok.
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Ore-Ida Brings Its Iconic Fries from the Freezer Aisle to the Frozen Slopes with Limited-Edition Fry-Inspired Skis
Ore-Ida Brings Its Iconic Fries from the Freezer Aisle to the Frozen Slopes with Limited-Edition Fry-Inspired Skis
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African soldiers deployed to high-crime areas have dismantled illegal gold mining operations in a community near Johannesburg, forcing some illegal miners to flee and abandon their equipment.
Police and the army recovered various tools used by illegal miners, including generators and drill machines — equipment documented by an Associated Press photographer on Thursday.
Makeshift trenches with food supplies and utensils belonging to the miners were also dismantled, with clothing items left behind after the miners fled the site in Randfontein, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west of Johannesburg.
The operations were part of a rare move by the government to deploy soldiers in some of the country's most crime-ridden areas, including in the Western Cape province that includes the city of Cape Town and the economic hub province of Gauteng.
With dozens of abandoned mine shafts lining the outskirts of Johannesburg, illegal mining is rife in the area as heavily armed crime syndicates and informal miners known as “zama zamas” enter the shafts in search of leftover deposits of gold or other precious minerals.
It is illegal to mine without a government license, and in some places, the conditions are dangerous.
Other provinces with abandoned shafts, like the North West and Mpumalanga, have also experienced high levels of illegal mining, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Authorities say there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners in South Africa, operating in some of its 6,000 abandoned mine shafts.
The government has noted an increase in illegal mining, which it estimates is worth more than $4 billion a year just in gold lost to criminal syndicates.
The trade is believed to be predominantly controlled by migrants from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, stoking anger among South African communities against both the criminal bosses and foreigners living in the local community.
Responding to questions from lawmakers on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the deployment of the troops would take place alongside other measures, such as strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining task teams.
“The police will also be working with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,” Ramaphosa said.
South African National Defense Force soldiers recover a generator left behind by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A South African National Defense Force soldier patrols in a dense bush where illegal miners are operating, in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers retrieve clothing and food stock left by illegal miners, in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers and police officers cross a water stream used by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers and police officers load recovered generators and machinery left behind by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
