Bode Miller Joins Crosson Ski As Chief Innovation Officer

One of the most demanding and creative minds in U.S. skiing history is turning his attention to one of the most elusive materials challenges in ski development. Five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller has teamed with aerospace engineer, Chase Englehart to serve as chief innovation officer at Crosson Ski, the Washington-based craft ski maker. The pair will debut Crosson’s new, expanded line of skis later this month, including a series built with carbon fiber and series centered around traditional ski manufacturing.

Born out of a desire to innovate, Crosson Ski launched with the goal of perfecting the carbon ski. Crosson implements design technologies found in the aviation and aerospace industries to ski manufacturing out of its headquarters in the Pacific Northwest. Crosson builds innovative skis in American with insight from world-renowned athletes for the everyday skier. 

“Carbon fiber is one of the most difficult and promising materials used in ski production today and I became really interested in Crosson when I saw Chase bring his aerospace expertise to the category in a manner that was solving a lot of the problems I’ve seen with the material. I actually just cold-called him to talk about it,” says Miller. “I have tried to make skis entirely out of carbon before, but I never got it exactly right. We’re onto something unique here and I’m more excited about this project than any I’ve touched since my retirement.”

Miller isn’t alone among elite skiers pushing Crosson forward, however. Joining Miller are former U.S. Olympians Jeff Olson and Bryon Friedman, who recently joined the company as president and chief marketing officer, respectively. Add to this an athlete and product development roster that includes four-time X Games champion Bobby Brown, ski mountaineer Doug Stoup, and big-mountain freeskier Banks Gilberti, and Crosson is poised for a breakthrough in the U.S. and European alpine ski markets.

“There are unprecedented challenges facing our sport as we enter Winter 2020-21, but with that comes new opportunities. We’ve assembled a team at Crosson that believes deeply in the path we’re forging on product development,” says Englehart. “Bode was well known on the World Cup circuit as the ultimate tinkerer, with an attention to detail in his equipment that was without equal. He’s brought that focus to Crosson and in very little time, Jeff, Bryon and Bode have helped reinvent our design and production in ways that consumers will clearly see when we launch our new lines in November.”