The origin story of many outdoor clothing and gear companies is somewhat…part myth. There's an emphasis on deriving and marketing that myth, and then, sometimes, comes the well designed and well made gear. Some companies nail the myth and not the products.

Les Houches and Salt Lake City based Blue Ice nails the products and happens to have a compelling backstory. Begun in 2008 by Giovanni Rossi in Chamonix, the company set forward on a path of intentional slow growth. By 2011 they released their Choucas harness which arrived at less than 150g, and since has become an alpine climbing/ski-mountainering staple for many. The company has branched into ski specific packs with their Kume series; they have hard goods in ice screws and axes.

In this episode of The High Route Gear Shed Podcast, Gavin sits down with Riley Willetts, a Salt Lake-based skier who helps run Blue Ice's North American marketing, sales, and events. As we'll learn from Willetts, Blue Ice's Salt Lake HQ vibe is an all-hands-on-deck scene where it's not uncommon to wear multiple hats after a dawn run, bike, or ski. Blue Ice has evolved from a scrappy upstart to a place where designers and manufacturers craft high-end climbing and ski-specific gear. Still, there remains something core about the brand: you sense you are supporting a low-key company whose values remain very connected to moving through the mountains rather than the boardroom. 

Willetts sheds some light on the Blue Ice ethos and explains who is behind the brand's design concepts and how the company plans to expand in the coming years. 

You can find us at the-high-route.com: Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. And according to Barry, don't-fear-the-hyphens®. We are reader and listener supported, so if you enjoy our work, please consider subscribing to The High Route. 

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to begin with.