Freeride Systems

What Freeride Systems does

Freeride Systems is a privately-held Colorado LLC founded in 2011 by Michael Collins that designs and manufactures technical outerwear for mountain sports, primarily freeride skiing, snowboarding, and backcountry touring. The company operates from its headquarters and workshop in Leadville, Colorado (10,200' elevation, the highest incorporated city in the United States) with a Denver field office opened in 2011, and produces all garments in Colorado and California. Its product portfolio centers on the Antero jacket series (Antero II hybrid softshell, Antero II Plus and Antero 3 hardshells, and Antero 5 Zip Hood Collar) using Polartec Neoshell and Gore-Tex laminates, complemented by the modular Jacket Component System (JCS) that allows the Harrison fleece to zip into the Harrison Mountain Parka shell. Supporting products include base layers, midlayers, Prospect Mountain Pants, ski/snowboard carry systems, and accessories, with a sister brand Fulsus USA addressing the casual hiking segment.

The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its Big Cartel storefront, supplemented by two Colorado retail partners (Alpine Ski & Sport in Leadville, Recycle Sports in Frisco) and distribution in Japan through MAIDEN COMPANY in Tokyo. Products are priced between $55 (pants) and $425 (premium jackets), positioning Made-in-USA craftsmanship at a price point below $500+ imported competitors such as Arc'teryx. Quality is supported by a lifetime warranty against defects, a Threads for Shreds trade-in program, and high-elevation design testing at 10,000-14,400+ foot elevations. The company does not disclose revenue, has no external institutional funding, and operates as a tightly-held founder-owned LLC with no public financial reporting.

Name

Freeride Systems

Legal name

Freeride Systems

Website

https://freeridesystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freeride Systems is a privately-held Colorado-based manufacturer of technical mountain outerwear (jackets, pants, midlayers, accessories) sold direct-to-consumer through its Big Cartel e-commerce store, with production in Colorado and California for the freeride ski and backcountry sports market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Outdoor Apparel

SIC

Women's, Misses', And Juniors Outerwear (2330)

akta.pro primary industry

Ski & Snowboard Apparel Retail (Outerwear, Base Layers, Gloves, Socks) (CRAMAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ski Touring / Backcountry & Avalanche Safety Retail (AT Gear, Skins, Beacons, Probes, Shovels, Airbags) (CRAMAJAD), Sports, Outdoor & Adventure Packs Manufacturing (Backpacks/Duffels) (IMAOAHAE)

Keywords

• Technical outerwear
• Ski jackets
• Hardshell jackets
• Made in USA apparel
• Mountain sports apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Copper Mountain

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through their Big Cartel e-commerce website, selling technical outerwear, accessories, and gear directly to end customers
2. Retail/Distribution Sales: Sales through select physical retail partners in Colorado and international distribution through Japanese distributor MAIDEN COMPANY

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freeride Systems designs and manufactures Made-in-USA (Colorado and California) technical outerwear and apparel for mountain environments, including the Antero series hardshell and hybrid softshell ski jackets, the Jacket Component System (JCS) modular Harrison parka and fleece pieces, base layers, midlayers, mountain pants, and accessories such as the patent-pending Skin Pouch 1 skin carrier and Boot Pack 1 ski/snowboard carry system. The company sells primarily direct-to-consumer through its Big Cartel e-commerce storefront, with supplemental distribution through a few Colorado retail partners and a Japanese distributor. Products are designed and tested by full-time mountain residents at 10,200+ ft elevation and feature proprietary technical elements including Polartec Neoshell and Gore-Tex membranes, helmet-compatible hoods, one-hand gloved YKK zippers, and fully seam-taped construction.

Product overview

Freeride Systems is a Made in USA (Colorado and California) manufacturer of technical outerwear designed for mountain environments. The product portfolio centers on several jacket series: Antero II (hybrid softshell), Antero II Plus (Polartec Neoshell hardshell), Antero 3 (lightweight hardshell), and Antero 5 (zip-in hood collar system). The Jacket Component System (JCS) includes the Harrison Mountain Parka shell and Harrison Fleece jacket that zip together for extreme cold. Supporting products include base layers (Polartec Powerstretch), midlayers (Bross Hoodie Polartec Power Air), Prospect Mountain Pants, accessories (Boot Pack 1 carry system, Skin Pouch 1 skin carrier, bomber belts), and casual wear. A sister brand Fulsus USA produces the Casual Get-A-Round Jacket line. Products are designed at 10,200+ foot elevation in Leadville, Colorado and sewn in Colorado and California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fulsus USA: Sister brand also made in Colorado, producing casual hiking jackets and outdoor apparel.
• Prospect Pants Co.

Products and services

• Antero II Hybrid Softshell Jacket Hybrid softshell/hardshell jacket with light layer of interior gridded fleece. Features Polartec Windbloc or Gore Windstopper laminates, Arc'teryx-inspired hood collar system, 3-layer laminate fabric, pit zips, and full seam taping. Primarily designed for skiing and riding.
• Antero II Plus Hardshell Jacket Hardshell jacket made from Polartec Neoshell 3-layer laminate fabric with Tricot nylon interior. Half the weight of Antero II, fully seam taped, features Arc'teryx-style collar hood design with 'EZ Up TruHood' helmet compatibility and '3 Way Thru' powervent system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products designed and tested at 10,000-14,400+ foot elevations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MAIDEN COMPANYminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese distributor for Freeride Systems products in Japan market. Located in Tokyo's Shibuya-ku district. Handles distribution and sales within the Japanese market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Burton: Dominant snowboard brand whose outerwear line targets the same riding and backcountry customer. Much larger brand and distribution footprint, but product overlap in technical snow outerwear.
• Mountain Hardwear: Technical outdoor apparel brand with hardshell and insulated jackets comparable to Freeride's Antero series. Operates at much larger scale with broader wholesale distribution.
• Helly Hansen: Established Norwegian brand with technical ski/snowboard outerwear and professional-grade mountain gear. Targets freeride and ski patrollers with comparable performance positioning.
• Patagonia: Large outdoor apparel brand with technical ski/snowboard outerwear in similar price tiers. Competes in the same freeride and backcountry use cases but at much broader scale and distribution.
• Black Diamond Equipment: Established mountain sports brand offering technical outerwear alongside hardware. Serves overlapping backcountry and freeride customers with broader product breadth and stronger retail distribution.
• Norrøna: Premium Norwegian outerwear brand with technical hardshells and freeride-specific product lines. Comparable mountain-sports positioning and premium pricing, though with European manufacturing origin.

Emerging players

• Westcomb Outerwear: Small Canadian technical outerwear brand focused on hardshells and backcountry apparel. Comparable premium positioning and similar scale to Freeride, with overlapping freeride and ski touring customers.

Direct peers

• Arc'teryx: Premium technical outerwear brand whose hood collar system is explicitly cited as inspiration by Freeride. Both serve freeride and backcountry skiers with hardshell jackets at premium price points; Arc'teryx is the higher-end incumbents against whom Freeride positions.
• Flylow Gear: Independent backcountry ski apparel brand with similar niche focus on freeride skiers and snowboarders. Comparable product range (shells, bibs, midlayers) at comparable price points, with a similar DTC-first go-to-market approach.
• Strafe Outerwear: Backcountry-focused ski apparel brand sold DTC, targeting the same freeride and touring customer. Products and pricing overlap materially with Freeride's Antero series and JCS system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Xx.com/frs719
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freeride-systems

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freeride Systems