Klaus Obermeyer
 |
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (October 2009) |
Klaus F. Obermeyer was born December 2, 1919 in the small Bavarian alpine village of Oberstaufen, Germany. Klaus is the founder of Sport Obermeyer, LTD.
 |
|
| Type | Family Business |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder(s) | Klaus F. Obermeyer |
| Headquarters |  Aspen, Colorado |
| Area served | USA, Canada, Europe, Russia |
| Products | Skiwear, sportswear |
| Website | http://obermeyer.com/ |
Contents |
[edit] Biography
In 1947, Obermeyer arrived in Aspen, Colorado, where his friend Friedl Pfeiffer had opened the Aspen Ski School. Over the next twelve years, he spent his days working as a ski instructor on Aspen Mountain. He founded Sport Obermeyer based on insights he had gained about ski wear while working as an instructor and started the business in the attic of his home. There, one of the first of many innovations was born in the form of a down ski parka stitched together from his goose down comforter. After that came high-altitude suntan lotion, turtlenecks, nylon wind-shirts, mirrored sunglasses, the Boot Fit Press and more. In 1961, the first Sport Obermeyer factory warehouse opened in Aspen, and the innovations continued with “soft-shell” jackets, double lens goggles, the first waterproof, breathable fabrics, a built-in ski boot canting system and line after line of high-tech, fashion-conscious skiwear, the likes of which had never been seen.
German-born Obermeyer lives in Aspen, Colorado, where his world-renown ski apparel company, Sport Obermeyer, is celebrating 62+ years of innovation. Klaus Obermeyer introduced the first plastic ski boot, the first down parkas, mirrored sunglasses, the ski turtleneck, and the first high-altitude sunscreen, saying “it was easy to invent things for skiing - since very little existed at the time.[1]
Klaus was inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1997.[2]
Klaus' innovations include, but aren't limited to:
- The quilted down parka. Stitched together from his own down comforter.
- Developed the first mirrored ski sunglasses from vaporized metal.[3]
- Created the first nylon windshirt.
- With Friedel Pfeifer developed the first high-altitude suntan lotion.[4]
- Developed a dual layer ski boot. The first with a warm liner & a rigid exterior shell.
- Created the first turtlenecks with elasticized collars.
[edit] Awards and honors
2006 Aspen Business of the Year - Aspen Chamber Resort Association
2004 American Ski Classic Vail/Beaver Creek Legends Giant Slalom 2nd place
2004 Business Man of the Year, Aspen Daily News
2003 North American Ski Journalists Association Lifetime Achievement Award
2001 Aspen Hall of Fame
1997 Colorado Ski Hall of Fame
1997 National Ski Hall of Fame Medal of Honor
1999 SIA Industry Appreciation Award
17th Annual BEWI awards for "Outstanding Contributions to the Sport of Skiing”
1997 EOY (Entrepreneur of the Year) Program, Ernst & Young – Finalist
1994 EOY (Entrepreneur of the Year) Program, Ernst & Young – Runner-Up
1985 Pioneer of Skiing Governor’s Cup – Telluride
[edit] Environmental initiatives
Klaus Obermeyer is a pioneer in both environmental initiatives and the green power movement. It started at home in Aspen, Colorado. The company's award-winning office complex built in 1980, receives 60% of its heat from solar energy, The facility is complete with a solar-heated lap pool. In 1991, Obermeyer completed construction of a 5 megawatt (mw) hydroelectric plant downstream from Vallecito Dam in Durango, Colorado. The powerplant and related features were designed and constructed by Obermeyer Hydraulic Turbines, Ltd. The powerplant is owned by Ptarmigan Resources and Energy, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Sport Obermeyer, LTD.) and operated by the Pine River Irrigation District. The hydroelectric plant supplies clean and renewable energy to more than 7,000 homes in southern Colorado.[5] Klaus's passion for the environment continues to this day with the incorporation of fabrics and materials from both renewable and recycled sources in many of Sport Obermeyer's products.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.familyskitrips.com/newengland/maine/sc/skicolumn08_jan_06.htm
- ^ http://www.skihall.com/HonoredMember.asp?MemberID=247http://www.coloradoskihalloffame.com/images_bio_htm_files/Klaus_Obermeyer.htm
- ^ http://www.firsttracksonline.com/news/stories/10379696866362.shtm
- ^ http://www.gocolorado.com/Article.aspx?articleid=83e3d946-3b6a-4974-8d1d-ce388d2edc3e&type=Article#
- ^ http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/pineriverh.html
[edit] External links
- http://www.familyskitrips.com/newengland/maine/sc/skicolumn08_jan_06.htm
- http://www.windshirt.com
- http://www.skihall.com/HonoredMember.asp?MemberID=247http://www.coloradoskihalloffame.com/images_bio_htm_files/Klaus_Obermeyer.htm
- http://www.plumtv.com/videos/vail-klaus-obermeyer/index.html
- http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-colorado/291928-1.html
- http://www.gocolorado.com/Article.aspx?articleId=83e3d946-3b6a-4974-8d1d-ce388d2edc3e&type=Article
- http://www.snowsports.net/downloads_08_09/pr/obermeyer_0809_press_kit.pdf
