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
Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades, with at least 2,571 people killed so far.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed of the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Here is the latest:
Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets near Tehran University for the funeral of more than 300 security forces and civilians on Wednesday.
Many held Iranian flags and identical photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and their relatives. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, were stacked at least three high in the backs of trucks and covered with red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed. The crowd chanted and beat their chests in response to an emcee speaking from a stage.
One man in the crowd held up a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump during the Pennsylvania assassination attempt, emblazoned with: “The arrow doesn’t always miss!”
India's Embassy in Tehran urged Wednesday all Indian nationals to leave Iran, citing what it called an “evolving situation” in the Islamic Republic.
The statement, posted on X, also advised Indian citizens to remain highly vigilant and avoid areas where protests are taking place.
German police said Wednesday the two climbed over a fence into embassy grounds and tore down an Iranian flag. Both wanted to hoist two pre-Islamic Republic flags but failed, German news agency dpa reported.
They left the grounds when guards used pepper spray and were detained on the sidewalk outside.
The incident happened late Tuesday.
Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.
The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”
Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.
Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the crackdown killed at least 2,571 people. It said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll, given the communications being disrupted in the country.
Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due to its purchases of Russian oil.
Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market, as its exports to Iran are modest.
India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.
Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran, including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.
Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.
He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.
His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.
Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.
More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service to people in Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.
Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
