Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Mehiel.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Both Eric, my husband, and Co-Founder are avid skiers. Eric grew up in Boulder, CO and we lived in CO in our mid 20, so we were, of course, avid skiers. Fast forward 15 years later and we are skiing with our children, Madeline was 3 and Jackson was 5. As a side note, that is where the name Mad Jacks comes from. Skiing with children can be challenging in their early years, they are leaving polls on the top of the hill, getting stuck in powder etc. It requires that you pop in and out of your skis a lot. By the end of the day, we were doing the ‘death march’ back to the car. The kids were complaining about their boots, I was complaining about my boots, and I had a nice pair of boots. We get back to the car and we all throw down our gear, and I look at Eric and say ‘I can’t do this, I am going to start to snowboard, so I can wear comfortable boots.’ Eric did not say it at the time, but he knew that was a bad idea. It did, however, get his engineering brain going, Side note Eric moonlights as an Aerospace Engineer. He thought why could you not ski in a snowboard boot. Along with fellow Coloradan, a good friend and Aerospace Engineer, Bill Demarest, the drew the first design of the MadJacks on a cocktail napkin. Eric went to work on the first version in the garage.
By the winter of 2013, I was skiing on the MadJacks and loving it. I had comfort, no performance issues, no boot bang, and my feet did not ache. Friends and family started asking for pairs, when we were on the hill, folks were asking where to buy them. In the Fall of 2016, we decided to make this hobby a business. At this juncture, we are a seasoned start up, with $145,000 raised in seed funding, product manufactured, a successful winter season behind us. The MadJacks is just the beginning. We have a strong brand, a clear road map for product evolution, a potential accessory line and additional IP. As a company, we are passionate and dedicated to getting people outdoors in an affordable and comfortable manner. We have a saying at Mad Jack Snowsports, “be on the hill; be happy on the hill.”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing is ever smooth in business. We have a paradigm shifting product for the snowsports industry so it can be met with skepticism, especially from core skiers. While the product performs like a traditional alpine ski boot would on steeps, blacks, out of bounds and bumps, core skiers question it, until they try it, and then they love it. With all the being said, we are the product for everyone else on the hill.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Mad Jack Snowsports is a C-Corp snowsports manufacturing company. Our flagship product the MadJacks, allows snowsports enthusiasts to morph their snowboard boots onto skis. This affords skiers the comfort of a snowboard boot, married with the performance of a ski boot at a price point that is on average one-third less than a traditional alpine boot, through a simple, patent pending device. The MadJacks is just the beginning. We have a strong brand, a clear roadmap for product evolution, a potential accessory line and additional IP. As a company, we are passionate and dedicated to getting people outdoors in an affordable and comfortable manner. We have a saying at Mad Jack Snowsports, “be on the hill; be happy on the hill.”
Our flagship product, the MadJacks has the potential to create a paradigm shift in the skiing industry. We are one of the few snowsports company with a female CEO. Our product team is run by two veteran aerospace engineers, who apply their expertise of spacecraft design and structures to all our product lines.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in San Diego. I was an avid equestrian but had an affinity for the ocean as well too. I was always a go-getter, straight as etc.
Pricing:
- MadJacks MSRP is $249
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madjacksnowsports.com
- Phone: 805-801-3588
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madjacksnowsports/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madjacksnowsports/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/madjacksnow
Image Credit:
Elliot Johnson Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
