History of K2 Skis

K2 skis has been synomous with American skiing for more than four decades. The company currently makes a wide variety of downhill skis, as well as snowboards and skis for telemark and alpine touring, and has a leading share of the ski market. Though the company is still based in Seattle, Washington, the leadership team moved production overseas in 2001 to China.

  1. Beginnings

    • K2 was founded in 1962 by Bill Kirschner, who was a partner in the family business Kirschner Manufacturing, which created splints and animal cages. K2 was created as a way to ensure commercial distribution of a fiberglass ski that Kirschner had created in 1961. Anderson & Thompson Ski Company, a Seattle-based ski distributor, helped Kirschner get the company going, and in 1964, Kirschner released his first batch of skis, a small total of 250, to the market.

    The Name

    • In 1967, Kirschner separated his business from Kirschner Manufacturing and changed the name to K2, after the second highest mountain in the world. The name also signified the two Kirschner brothers, Bill and Don.

    Growth

    • By the end of 1968, K2 had separated from Anderson & Thompson, creating its own distribution channels. The company had grown substantially, up to 83 people, and was selling 21,000 pairs of skis. At this time, the company, which had been concentrating on recreational skis, decided to start producing racing skis. Their new ski, featuring a red, white and blue stripe, were used by a skier who placed first in a giant slalom World Cup race, and quickly took off.

    Partners

    • To keep growing aggressively, Kirschner sought outside investors, and K2 partners with Cummins Engine Company in 1969. In 1972, the company was acquired by Sitca, a private group of investors who also acquired Jansport. In 1982, company management purchased all shares back from Sitca and sold Jansport. In 1985, Sitca was acquired by Anthony Industries, Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that produced products for a wide variety of recreational markets, including fishing. This merger allowed K2 to expand production while focusing on "Employee Involvement, Just-In-Time Manufacturing" techniques.

    Other Markets

    • K2 entered the snowboard market rather early, in 1988. In 1989, the company bought Madshus A/S, a manufacturer of cross country skis in Norway, and, while using their facility to produce cross country skis, expanded it to create alpine skis as well. In 1993, K2 introduced its Exotech inline skate, quickly taking over much of the inline skate market.

    Moves

    • In 2001, K2 closed production in its Vashon Island facility and moved it to China. In 2006, the same year that Bill Kirschner died, K2 moved its headquarters from Vashon Island to Seattle. In 2009, K2 ended its separate AT and telemark lines, creating an all-around all-mountain backcountry series of skis. The new Adventure series lets the skier use either an AT binding or a telemark binding on the ski.