The Story of SKIDA - Published!

Just the past July, I was invited to attend a conference in Austin, TX that was hosted by Forbes Magazine.  The conference was for their upcoming cover story on Student Entrepreneurs to supplement their annual 'Top Colleges' issue.  Myself and eight other student entrepreneurs gathered for a couple days for some video interviews, a few dinners, panel discussions, and even a discussion with Michael Dell on the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship as a student.

Here is my video interview:  Essentially the story of SKIDA in 3 minutes :-)




Also, Check out the August 22, 2011 issue of Forbes to see the article in Print :-)

Thanks to everyone for their support! This dorm room project would have gone no where without you.

Corinne

SKIDA's Plus One

      For me, the best part of running SKIDA is the freedom to choose what kind of projects and endeavors to jump into next.  While the SKIDA 'Friends of Liz' campaign continues to raise money for her pursuits as an Olympic cross-country skier, I have found another cause that is well-worth supporting.
     After a long conversation with Mr. Pring, a dedicated husband to Mrs. Pring, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, I finally figured out how to get the ball rolling on a project that I have wanted to start for quite some time.  With the help of Mr. and Mrs. Pring's connection with the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, I am excited to tell you all about the first participating cancer center in SKIDA's Plus One project.
     For a patient undergoing chemotherapy, SKIDA Fleece-lined Hats provide the perfect level of warmth and comfort.  I want patients to be provided with colorful, comfortable, and cheery SKIDA hats.
The solution is collaborative:  For every order that is submitted with a promotional code, i.e. 'DHMC' (short for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center), SKIDA will send one Fleece-lined Hat to the corresponding cancer center.

      The first batch of SKIDA hats were just delivered a couple weeks ago to Dartmouth.  Here is a message from Diane, who is a patient at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

     Dear Corinne,  I am a cancer patient at Dartmouth Hitchcock.  Today is infusion day.  Myself and another lady were given your hats and I just wanted to thank you.  They are nicer and more comfortable (not scratchy) than anything I've found.  Thank you again for your kindness. Diane. P.S. They are really stylish too, which is hard to find.  :)

     So, if you want to brighten someone's day at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, simply enter the promotional code 'DHMC' when completing your order and SKIDA will donate a hat on your behalf.

It is your SKIDA order - plus one.

Enjoy,

Corinne

P.S.  Stay tuned for more participating cancer centers.

SKIDA on the Red Carpet!

When I came up with the name SKIDA for my little 'hat project' three years ago, clearly I did not expect the small product line to make it beyond the ski trails.  After all, SKIDA does mean 'ski' in Swedish.

But here we are in the summer of 2011 and SKIDA apparel continues to arise in the most surprising locales.  Earlier this year, a lovely group of ladies sported a matching set of SKIDA Fleece-lined Headbands on the dance floor at Middlebury-alum Brie Pike-Springer's wedding.

Just this past May, I was forwarded the following clip out of a Norwegian Tabloid.

Sent from Warner Nickerson, an accomplished alpine skier from New Hampshire.

"I absolutely love your headbands! And I was wondering if I could get some more... I was in Norway last week and wore it to the Norwegian equivalent of the Golden Globe award and went with a well known Norwegian girl so your headband made it into their tabloids..."

So, take it from Warner and don't let the warm temperatures or formal settings keep you from breaking out your favorite headbands this summer.

Oh.  Check out our fresh collection of Headbands with more new prints than ever before!

Happy July,

Corinne

P.S.  Check out this happy NENSA group rocking their Headbands after a fun summer training session.

Thanks, Friends of Liz!

On behalf of Liz Stephen, we'd like to thank all of our Friends of Liz!

Over the course of the winter, the Friends of Liz campaign raised just over $2,000 for Liz.  She is using the money to go to Sweden, where she is training with Kikkan Randall and some other World Cup Nordic skiers.

Here is an update from Liz:

Liz Stephen sports her own Friends of Liz hat on the trail.

I am now back in Utah for the training season. Our first camp is in Bend, Oregon the last 2 weeks of May and then I am most likely going to fly to Ostersund, Sweden to meet up with Kikkan and train with some of the members of the Swedish National Team. I have wanted to do something like this for a long time and Kikkan has done all the leg-work to get the trip off the ground, so the opportunity is too good to pass up. The US Ski Team is not funding this trip, but because of all the money that was raised with the Friends of Liz hats, made and donated by Skida, I am going to be able to fund this trip. I want to thank all who bought a hat and supported me this season and in past seasons.

Keep up with Liz on her blog.

Special thanks to Nefra Printing for printing the hangtags and Sterling Tape and Label for providing the Friends of Liz tags.

Spring Skiing and Free Shipping!

It's mid-April and the temp's are moving up and up!

That said, the snow is disappearing so you'd better hurry up and get out the door to savor this (not-so-fluffy) white stuff that's been hangin' around.

I have plans to hit up Tuckerman's next weekend - so hopefully the weather won't fail and we'll have an awesome day of skiing!  

Keep an eye out for some color on Mt Washington this weekend :-)

Another happy note -- Enjoy free shipping for the rest of the spring and summer!

Make like these lovely ladies and soak up the last few sunny days on snow!

SKIDA's Newest Frontier

     This winter, we saw SKIDA products all over the snowy slopes and trails of New England, Colorado, and Idaho on the heads of happy skiers, hikers, and runners alike – but I bet you didn’t expect to see them worn by this fashion forward group of bridesmaids!

 Here are Middlebury College Alums celebrating the marriage of Tyne Pike-Springer and David Rothman.  

photo: wickedtattos.com

But, this was no ordinary wedding -- these two lovebirds were the lucky winners of the Mount Snow Wedding Giveaway, winning $25,000 for their perfect wedding on Valentines Day weekend.

Tyne and her sister, Brie, decided to spice up the already exciting event by outfitting this gorgeous group of bridesmaids in matching SKIDA headbands.  What better way to celebrate in style than these colorful and festive outfits?

Enjoy :-)

WAHOO!!!

Here's Nolan Kasper shredding it today!

2nd place at the World Cup (And he's still rockin the Bandana!!)

True Love

A cute note from Jodi:

Grey loves his new hat so much, he sleeps in it!

Maine Loves SKIDA!

Here's a lovely message from a Maine-runner...

My name is Kristin Center and I recently ordered a headband and a fleece-lined hat (teal tropical). Needless to say, when I showed up at my running club to run....the ladies went nuts! You've probably been getting orders ever since from us gals. I'm attaching a link to my blog which allows me to gush about your neat company and model your gear. www.lovemyrun.wordpress.com. Check it out if you have a spare moment.

Also, I've attached a pic of me and my friends at running group tonight. (I'm the only one with a SKIDA headband as it was a balmy 35 degrees out tonight.) haha!! With temps in the single-digits this winter, your hats/headbands have stylishly done us well! Thanks for your unique gear and if you have any samples you'd like me to model for the group....send them along! hehe.

Thanks for the photo, Ladies!

See what Kristin has to say on her blog.

 *Enjoy the last couple weeks of winter!

Friends of Liz!

Calling all fans and friends of cross-country skiing - and anyone attuned to winter sports...

Finally, the Friends of Liz collection is available online!

Want to support Olympian Liz Stephen?

See what all the excitement is about here.

Also, check out Liz's blog to see what she is up to!

lizstephen.blogspot.com

Also Spotted at World Champs!

Here's Nolan Kasper shredding it at World Champs in Germany!

We believe the Vintage Checks Bandana brings good luck.

...It seems like he believes it, too.

15th's not too shabby.  Keep it up, Nolan!

Spotted at World Champs!

Here's a message and snapshot from Brie Pike Springer- a loyal customer, friend and PT for the Women's US alpine ski team...

Julia Mancusa rockin' SKIDA under her slalom helmet today.

Thanks for spreading the love, girls!

SKIDA at Bretton Woods!

(Reposted from Feb. 4, 2011)

     Bretton Woods is home to New Hampshire's largest alpine ski area and a wonderful Nordic center. You can find a large array of SKIDA products at their three locations:

Bretton Woods Nordic Center
Bretton Woods Ski Area

Mount Washington Hotel

Here's a note from their retail director, Judy:

Thought you'd like to see the picture we took today of all the employees here that have purchased your hats. It's been very fun selling your product and people come in regularly to see what new patterns have come in.

Thanks for your support, Ladies!

We are putting together your most recent re-order for the Nordic Center :-)

Corinne

Women's Day at Bolton Valley

Hey everyone!

(Reposted from Feb. 3, 2011)

I thought I'd start this blog off with a little recap of a wonderfully successful event this past sunday.

First of all, thanks to Abby Weissman who organized the event on behalf of NENSA! From what I saw, there were many women of all abilities who came from all over New England - women who had never really Nordic skied before to those who had just raced the Craftsbury Marathon the previous day. Kudos to everyone for getting out there! Margie and I had a great time putting together the Promotional hats for the day and it was so fun to see some many skiers loving them, too!

Sabre, Abby, Caroline, Kate, and Annelies enjoy their lunch at Pond's Restaurant in Bolton Valley.

Thanks again to everyone who bought an event hat -

- 10% of those proceeds were just donated to NENSA!

On to our next project... We just created a special exclusive hat as a fundraiser for Olympic Cross-Country skier Liz Stephen! This hat will be available for purchase in our SHOP in just a few days. Stay tuned for more info!!

You can find us - myself and Margie, at the NENSA ski races hosted by Trapp Family Lodge this weekend. Looks to be a crisp and sunny weekend.

Hope to see you out there!

Corinne