When buying new winter gear it can be hard to find ethical, community-based brands to shop with rather than the big named brands you’ve always seen. If you’re reading this, we know you believe in supporting local, small snow sports businesses but might not know where to start—and we get it. So, from head to toe, here is our ethical winter gear guide that will have you looking conscious and of course, cute AF.
THOUSAND – Helmets
Starting from your head and perhaps on the most important pieces of equipment you can own, we’re pointing you towards Thousand Helmets. A WOC-owned outdoor brand, Thousand helmets put safety and efficiency first while making sure you look good while doing your thing. Unfortunately, in some circles helmets are considered “uncool” but they make or break dangerous situations and are vital to many outdoor sports. Founder Gloria Hwang knows this all too well and named the brand “Thousand” to save 1000 lives by making helmets people want to wear. Shop Thousand here.
SKIDA – Hats/buffs etc.
Skida is a Vermont-based, women-owned winter accessories brand known for its funky and stylish prints. Their gear is excellent quality, ethically made, and small business owned. Coalition Snow collabs with Skida every year to showcase one of our ski or snowboard graphics, and this year Skida joined us in a collaboration supporting our Indigenous Back Country Scholarship. In this line all the proceeds will go to the scholarship fund. You can shop our Skida collabs here.
KARI TRAA – Base layers
Named after Ski Olympian Kari Traa who was always knitting beanies in her free time and between competitions. She created her brand for women in winter sports as when she was competing she was one of the only women in the sport and wanted more gear aimed towards women. Kari Traa has all your base layers covered. Shop Kari Traa here.
SERIUS – Mitts/gloves etc.
Serius is a snow sport brand co-founded by two “avid skiers who came together to innovate new gear to make skiing better.” All their gear is highly technical and made to last. As a brand, they are committed to their community and the environment. For all cold-weather technical covers such as mitts, face masks, socks, hats, and baselayers shop Serius here.
ALPINE CURVES – Plus-sized snow pants
Looking for plus-sized outdoor clothing and gear, particularly snow pants? Founder, Kindra Roberts a plus-sized skier felt there needed to be more access to sports and thus gear for plus-sized athletes. She wanted the gear to be functional, high-quality, stylish and so she created Alpine Curves. Shop Alpine Curves here.
SHKOOP – Down skirts
What started with down skirts turned into all mid-layers. Founder Sissi Kewenter thought up the idea of a down feathered skirt on a -20 walk with her dog realizing she had nothing to keep her butt and legs properly warm. From there she expanded to layers that help keep us warm on those extra cold days. Shop SHKOOP here.
TOUGH CUTIE – Socks
Tough Cutie is a BIWOC-owned sock brand making high-quality, technical socks! Though geared toward women, they dream of an outdoor community where all genders come together to create a more inclusive space. Shop Tough Cutie here.
OUTDOOR Master – Ski goggles
Outdoor Master was started by ‘two ski geeks’ who wanted to create accessible yet high-quality ski goggles in a sport where goggles cost upwards of 200 dollars. They knew this was adding to the inaccessibility and elitism of snow sport and felt passionate about changing it, so Outdoor Master was born. They sell mid-range, high-quality goggles for prices closer to 50 dollars! And if you have any doubts about their quality they are an official sponsor of the US ski team. Shop Outdoor Master here.
Thanks for reading, as a small women-owned (made for everyone) snow sports brand we believe in supporting small and community-based businesses like ourselves. To continue to shop consciously check out our blogs on small & women owned businesses, Hispanic & Latine owned outdoor brands, and women-owned outdoor brands.
