In our family, skiing is an heirloom. The passion, the pursuit of powder, the obsession with sliding on snow, and the reverence for nature has been passed down in the Obermeyer clan from generation to generation. In some families the birthrights are knickknacks—like chessboards or kitchenware with a storied history. Other families share recipes or quilts, jewelry or photographs. For the Obermeyer family, we inherit skiing (and snowboarding) from those who came before us. We get to share skiing with you, too.
In 1928, Klaus Obermeyer lived in Bavaria. The mountain culture in Germany runs deep, like the canyons cut by the Danube River. Klaus grew up in a home made by the same hands who reared him. The windows looked over mountains that would make skiers froth, and the home was nestled into the safe zones to avoid the fall-line because snow moves in the mountains.
“You could ski to the back kitchen door of our childhood home,” remembers Klaus, now 102 years old. “If that wasn’t a gift my father gave us, I don’t know what a gift is.”
Some children grow up throwing a baseball in the backyard or playing kick the can with the neighbors. To Klaus, skiing was the thing he’d do when his parents would nudge him outside to get fresh air and get out of their shadow.
Fast forward 94 years to today. The 2022–2023 season marks the 75th anniversary for the brand that Klaus built by hand, like the home his father built in Bavaria. Skiing has been shared with five generations of Obermeyers since the 1928 ski season in Bavaria. And—as importantly—skiing has been shared with millions of Obermeyer fans.
If you rock the Obermeyer heart you know that this is more than hobby. To us, skiing is a lifeblood. It’s a breath of fresh air, a respite from the to-do lists, and something we share with people we love. Skiing is part of our family’s history, and you’re part of family. Let’s honor this heirloom by having fun on snow, and let’s acknowledge how fortunate we are that we are skiers.