This Ski Company Started At A Craps Table In Vegas | Now They've Raised $2.2 Million

liberty-3 — *Photo Credit: Liberty Skis | Cover Photo: Scott Bellow*

As the dice rolled to the end of the craps table, James Satloff and Dan Chalfant had the same dreams many of us skiers have when we gamble in Vegas. Heli ski trip. Brand-spanking new chalet in Jackson. Or maybe take the money and start a ski company that becomes one’s life.

With 30,000 smackers in tow, the founders of what would become Liberty Skis moved into their comped hotel suite, took out some ski retailers to steak dinners, and bought what would become the Liberty’s first mold– purchased with hundred dollar bills from the casino cage.

“What was great was that we won so much money, the casino comped us everything you can imagine; rooms, suites, and we were able to have incredible dinners with ski shops that we otherwise couldn’t afford – all on the casino’s dime.” – James Satloff, Liberty Skis Founder

Ultimately, that fateful night planted the seeds of what would become one of the most successful, independent ski companies of the 21st century. 13 years since winning $30,000 dollars at that craps table in Las Vegas, the owners of Liberty Skis are now on their way to securing $2.2 million in additional funding to support one of the fastest growing brands in the ski industry reports BusinessDen.com. Based out of Avon, CO– the ski maker uses Bamboo sourced in China to produce its planks in-house without sacrificing performance– a process that passes its discounts on to the customer.

“Our kegs seem to empty much faster than a year earlier.” – Liberty Skis

The company’s filing with the SEC on October 11th indicates they are looking to garner up to $3.5 million in investor funding over the next few months. The fundraising effort comes on the heels of a burgeoning demand for their skis and in order to keep up, the ski maker will put recent investment dollars almost solely towards ski production materials.

Liberty founders, Jim Satloff and Dan Chalfant credit all that growth to three growing sectors in skiing: women, ski-touring, and off-piste skiing. Thankfully, Satloff and Chalfant will no longer need to throw dice to fund their ski company.

Find the entire BusinessDen.com article here: Ski makers raise $2.2M