Yeti: Sandblasted Gronkle '55' (926) Tobacco Pipe

A Montana native and the man behind Yeti pipes, Micah Cryder became fascinated with pipe making after smoking a pipe for the first time in high school. His passion for the craft became intense and all encompassing, and he eventually quit his barista job and left his university to pursue pipe making full-time. He's now one of America's premier pipe makers, garnering considerable praise for his unique shaping style, handsome finishing work, and mind-boggling attention to detail.

One of Cryder's signature shapes, the Gronkle is a striking design defined by a Bulldog-like bowl, a plateau-crowned rim, and a pointed heel. Those aforementioned features are all present with this "55" rendition, with "55" being a reference to Castello's "55" bent Pot design. Like Castello's "55," this piece possesses a pronounced heel and a gradually tapering shank-and-stem arrangement, the latter of which boasts crisp ridgelines and firm facets that slowly diminish to the bit. Almost Acorn-like in its appearance, the bowl here tapers from a conservative heel to a broad waistline accentuated by a subtle ridgeline, which marks the start of the rim's steady upward taper. Said taper terminates at a ring of plateau that lends a touch of asymmetrical organicism to the shape's silhouette. The plateau's rich texture is continued by the stummel's finish, which takes the form of a rugged, inky sandblast that draws out rippling growth rings across the bowl's flanks.