{"id":21432,"date":"2017-11-01T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=21432"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:25:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:25:53","slug":"icelantic-force-of-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/icelantic-force-of-nature","title":{"rendered":"With Annelise Loevlie at the Helm, Icelantic is Thriving"},"content":{"rendered":"

After lifting the Colorado ski company out of financial turmoil, the Icelantic CEO is focusing on building community, getting people outside and empowering women. <\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 8 p.m. in New York by the time I get Annelise Loevlie on the phone. We\u2019d planned to talk hours ago, but I wasn\u2019t able to get hold of her. Then I got this text message:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Leslie! I am sooo sorry. I just got down from a mini-epic hike where I hauled out a 60-pound piece of rose quartz [the stone of love] for a friend\u2019s wedding gift. (Shhhhh.) I just got back to the car and will be home in about 30 min. Can you do it then?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t blame her. The 34-year-old CEO of Icelantic Skis was literally just emulating her company\u2019s motto, \u201cReturn to Nature.\u201d And when I did get to talk to her, she was fired up because she had spent the day outside doing what she loves\u2014huffing her way up a 12,000-foot peak. \u201cI love exercise,\u201d Annelise says laughing. \u201cAnd the summit of Chief Mountain has 360-degree views of the Continental Divide. I basically grew up on that mountain, so it\u2019s this little respite if I just need to get away. My heart is instantly reset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annelise, who lives about 30 minutes away from Chief Mountain\u2019s trailhead in Golden, Colorado, has been with Icelantic since its inception. Her childhood friends, Ben Anderson, Travis Cook and Travis Parr, founded the ski company in 2004. And when Ben needed some help on the business side of things, he asked Annelise to come on board. It\u2019s not a surprise she said yes, seeing as she\u2019s the type of person\u00a0who will carry 60 pounds of rock down a mountain for her friends. In 2014, Annelise became the CEO because the company was in financial trouble and she knew the way forward. She is just \u201creally good at navigating shit storms\u201d (her words, not mine). Now, with Annelise at the helm, Icelantic has overcome its growing pains and is hard at work innovating, inspiring and building community in the ski industry.<\/p>\n

\"Annelise

Annelise Loevlie at Icelantic’s storefront in Golden, Colorado. (Photo Credit: Crystal Sagan)<\/p><\/div>\n

Annelise grew up in Colorado\u2019s historic Gold Rush mining town of Idaho Springs. Nature reigns supreme in this corner of Clear Creek County. On the weekends, the Loevlises climbed nearby mountains, like Chief Mountain, and skied at Loveland. They also traveled internationally a lot, which is why Annelise can speak a little bit of Norwegian, Spanish, Italian and Russian. Annelise says she thinks all that travel made her a good communicator, which is why she does what she does.<\/p>\n

Annelise\u2019s parents are entrepreneurs. Her Norwegian father, Kristian, is an inventor. He created a sprayable concrete called Shotcrete, and her mother, Mary Jane, helped turn his invention into a successful business. A passionate community builder, Mary Jane cares deeply about Clear Creek County and fights for historic preservation. \u201cMy mom is amazing. She just bought the Argo Gold Mill [in Idaho Springs],\u201d Annelise says. \u201cIt used to be the biggest gold mill in the world, and she is going to develop it into a modern hotel and conference center. It\u2019s going to be a really good thing for the town.\u201d And for 20 years, Mary Jane has been spearheading the effort to bring new transportation options, like a monorail, to Colorado\u2019s insufferable I-70 corridor. This, I imagine, is where Annelise gets her grit.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, Icelantic\u2019s mission has been to connect people to nature, create change, and inspire curiosity and adventure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 2004, Annelise earned two degrees from the University of Vermont, in international business and Spanish. And about 2.5 seconds after she got her diploma, Ben asked for her help starting Icelantic. \u201cI was definitely like, \u2018Yeah, Ben, I\u2019ll help you. You are going to need a phone number and a bank account and stuff.\u2019 But I was just kind of just helping out at the time because he was such a good friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Annelise met on the first day of seventh grade at Clear Creek Middle School. Annelise had already started her own businesses selling candy out of her locker (shocker!), and Ben, who apparently really loves candy, quickly became her best customer. They\u2019ve been buddies ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen has always had this ability to make things happen,\u201d Annelise says. \u201cHe is a dreamer and a doer. And he has no ego.\u201d This explains why he wanted to create a different kind of ski company. Icelantic was the first ski company to manufacture all its products in the U.S., and each and every top-sheet has original artwork<\/a> done by Travis Parr. From the beginning, Icelantic\u2019s mission has been to connect people to nature, create change, and inspire curiosity and adventure. \u201c\u2018Return to Nature\u2019 is our slogan; that\u2019s a not-so-subtle suggestion-slash-invitation for people to return to nature, whatever that means to them,\u201d Annelise says. \u201cWe also sell skis, which automatically encourages people to get outside and move their bodies.\u00a0And the content that we create with our athletes, the crew behind the scenes, and our community is always intentional.\u201d Plus, Annelise says, Icelantic is working with Conservation Colorado to help protect public lands. (She\u2019s also working on some cool, creative initiatives that she can\u2019t really talk about yet. Stay tuned.)<\/p>\n

\"Icelantic

The award-winning Maiden 101 Skis combine design elements from the top-selling Icelantic Nomad and their signature “Fly-Weight” core.<\/p><\/div>\n

After about a year of \u201cjust helping out,\u201d Ben asked Annelise to work for Icelantic full-time. It was 2005 and she was 23. \u00a0Seven years later, in 2014, she became CEO and helped Ben save the company from bankruptcy. \u201cI did an assessment of the business and found, \u2018This is what is not working. This is how I see transforming it.\u2019 I presented it to the board and said, \u2018I have to say this or else I can\u2019t be here anymore.\u2019 That was sort of the impetus for me to take over as CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annelise\u2019s introduction to becoming the boss was not an easy one. She had to fire some of her friends and really shake things up. She says it was one of the hardest things she has ever had to do. Since then, Annelise feels like she has finally started to understand her drive and reason for working for Icelantic. \u201cForever it was for Ben, then it was to save the company,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I\u2019m realizing my purpose and what motivates me to being part of this company.\u201d\u00a0Annelise has confidence and pride in her ability to see how things work. She has a knack for observing a situation, seeing what\u2019s missing and filling the holes. She is constantly inspiring her team of 20 employees and athletes\u2014she and Ben take them on an international sailing trip every year just to get away from work and have fun. She doesn\u2019t try to change herself just because she\u2019s the boss, and she\u2019s not afraid to drop an enthusiastic f-bomb when she is excited. She\u2019s relatable and fun and, well, she really, really loves skiing.<\/p>\n

\"Annelise

Annelise Loevlie on Rope Dee Ramp at Silverton Mountain, Colorado. (Photo Credit: Crystal Sagan)<\/p><\/div>\n

Icelantic has been growing in a big way lately. The company had record-breaking sales during the months of August and September. \u201cAfter 10 years of doing this we are finally getting a little momentum,\u201d Annelise says.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason the company is doing well\u2014besides the artfully designed graphics, USA-manufactured products and up-to-date shapes\u2014is that Icelandic is paying attention to women. In the beginning, Icelantic didn\u2019t offer women-specific skis; in 2010, Icelantic introduced its first model, the Oracle 110. And this year, the company will be offering six women-specific models (out of 15 total) in all sizes.<\/p>\n

At the Vail Resorts annual Labor Day sale this year, Annelise cried happy tears. \u201cI was checking out the ski wall and looking at the ladies\u2019 section. I felt so proud because we had more women skis in our lineup than the total number of skis on the wall. And I love the skis we are making for women.\u201d Annelise is also psyched to release Icelantic\u2019s newest women-specific design: a big and burly ski built for hard-charging women called the Maiden 177. In January 2018, the company plans to release its first women-specific backcountry touring ski called the Mystic, as well as a couple more new women\u2019s all-mountain models at Snowsports Industries America\u2019s annual trade show.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and I both know how cool it is when you can ski with other women,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a joy. Women are mothers and decision-makers, and it\u2019s important to continue having women involved in the sport. They are huge influences on whether or not it\u2019s going to continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Skier<\/p>\n

As we wrap up our call, Annelise tells me that it\u2019s hard for her to quantify or measure her goals for Icelantic. All she knows for sure is that she wants to be a part of a company that positively impacts the world. \u201cI want to build a conscious company. When people see us or come into contact with us, I want it to be associated with integrity, and fun and nature.\u201d And she wants to use Icelantic to get people outdoors, because in Annelise\u2019s wonderfully open mind, the more people outside\u2014regardless of gender\u2014the better.<\/p>\n

Shop Icelantic Skis<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After lifting the Colorado ski company out of financial turmoil, the Icelantic CEO is focusing on building community, getting people outside and empowering women. It\u2019s 8 p.m. in New York by the time I get Annelise Loevlie on the phone. We\u2019d planned to talk hours ago, but I wasn\u2019t able to get hold of her. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":22112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[726,1430,473,760,364],"internal-tag":[1431,1683],"class_list":["post-21432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-force-of-nature","tag-icelantic","tag-skiing","tag-skis","tag-snowsports","internal-tag-leslie-hittmeier","internal-tag-pre-redirect-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/icelantic-force-of-nature","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"With Annelise Loevlie at the Helm, Icelantic is Thriving","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/icelantic-force-of-nature","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/icelantic-force-of-nature"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/10\/Icelantic_Annelise_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/10\/Icelantic_Annelise_Hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1331"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["force of nature","icelantic","skiing","skis","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2017-11-01T16:00:52Z","datePublished":"2017-11-01T16:00:52Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:25:53Z"},"rendered":"