A100-L

Notes on the Ermine Skate A100-L

“The A100-L was Ermine’s first ever limited edition skate. When I started Ermine, I didn’t just want to make excellent skates, I also wanted to make them visually beautiful and exciting objects. Many of the existing skates on the market were well-made, but they were only produced in one (safe) color that stayed the same year after year. We’d already shaken that practice up with our initial A100 release by offering it in four distinctive colors. With the A100-L, I wanted to push things even farther.

The A100-L was shot in the same polymer-ceramic coating as our A100, but with a lupine-inspired pink-to-purple fade. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first pink Nordic skate, first purple Nordic skate, and first Nordic skate with a fade (or, at least these were firsts in the North American market). Three aesthetic landmarks in one!

The A100-L was a hit and quickly sold out. The success of this limited edition skate was rewarding in and of itself, but it was also a strong signal to keep experimenting. The A100-L almost looks tame now considering what we’ve done since, but it helped establish aesthetic innovation as a big and important part of the Ermine brand.”

Paxson Woelber
Owner, Ermine Skate
January 2026