Flylow Gear
United States
American ski outerwear and accessories brand | Founded 2005 by Colorado skiers Dan Abrams and Greg Steen | Known for: Baker Bib, Foxy Bib, Lab Coat, Quantum Pro, Chemical Pant, leather gloves, Intuitive fabrics and Westward stories | Focus: durable freeride clothing for skiers who split time between resort storms, backcountry tours, rope tows, spring slush and long mountain seasons.
2005 Colorado frustration and the pants that started Flylow
Flylow Gear is not a ski manufacturer, crew or traditional production studio. It is an independent ski outerwear and accessories brand built around a problem that many real skiers understood immediately: resort apparel looked good but often wore out too fast, while mountaineering shells could survive abuse but did not always move or fit naturally on skis. Dan Abrams and Greg Steen turned that gap into a company in 2005.
The first Flylow products were simple and direct: the Cactus Pant and the Black Coat. That modest beginning still explains the brand better than any slogan. Flylow was not launched as luxury alpine fashion. It was built by skiers trying to make pants and jackets that could handle backcountry exits, chairlift laps, spring road trips, storms, scrapes and the daily punishment of a long season.
The name came from a mountain comment that stuck. After watching the founders telemark ski, a French skier reportedly said they did not ski fast, they fly low. The phrase became the brand. Two decades later, the identity remains close to that original idea: low ego, high mileage, durable clothing for skiers who would rather be outside than over explain their kit.
Baker Foxy Lab Coat and Quantum Pro as the Flylow backbone
Flylow’s core product world is ski apparel: jackets, pants, bibs, gloves, baselayers, hats, tees, hoodies and accessories. The Baker Bib is the brand’s most recognizable men’s piece, a burly freeride bib designed for storm days, inbounds abuse and out of bounds movement. It has become one of those products that shows up everywhere from liftlines to skintracks because it solves a common skier problem: staying protected without feeling locked inside a mountaineering uniform.
The Foxy Bib plays a similar role in the women’s line. It is one of Flylow’s most established products, built around functional fit, stretch, waterproof breathable fabric, vents and pocketing that makes sense for real days on snow. That matters because women’s ski outerwear has often been forced into either fashion first cuts or watered down technical versions. Foxy helped Flylow build trust with skiers who wanted both performance and an actual useful pattern.
On the shell side, Lab Coat and Quantum Pro carry the premium storm identity. Quantum Pro is a three layer hardshell designed for skiers who split time between resort and backcountry, with recycled polyester Surface fabric, a 20k waterproof breathable membrane, fully taped seams, helmet compatible hood, removable powder skirt, YKK waterproof zippers and deep storage. Chemical Pant, Stash Bib, Patrol Jacket and leather glove models fill out the system, giving Flylow enough range to dress a skier from hands to shell layer.
Air permeable shells for skintracks and storm day chairlifts
Flylow’s performance lane is freeride utility. The brand is strongest for skiers who do not separate resort skiing from sidecountry hikes, bootpacks, storm laps, rope tows and travel days. A Flylow shell usually needs to breathe during movement, block weather on the chairlift, survive pack straps and ski edges, and still look natural in a mountain town bar after the lifts close.
The brand’s Intuitive fabric platform supports that approach. Surface three layer and two layer hardshell fabrics are designed around waterproof breathable protection and a burly hand feel. Air permeable constructions are used where heat management matters more, especially for high output days when a skier can sweat through a shell from the inside. In practical terms, Flylow tries to reduce the classic winter problem: staying dry from snowfall while not soaking yourself during the climb.
That balance is why the brand fits resort freeride so well. A skier might ride deep snow at 9 a.m., hike a ridge at 11, ski chopped powder after lunch and finish with slushy groomers. Clothing has to move through all of it. Flylow’s pieces are rarely the lightest possible option or the most minimalist alpine shell. They are built for skiers who value durability, vents, pockets, cuffs and fabrics that can take daily punishment.
Daron Rahlves Ross Tester and a team built from real mountain users
Flylow’s team strategy matches its product identity. The official athlete page describes a mix of Freeride World Tour competitors, Olympic legends, rising stars, creatives, guides, educators and activists. Names such as Daron Rahlves and Ross Tester give the roster range: one connected to elite alpine speed and big mountain credibility, the other to modern freeride competition and contemporary ski media.
The broader team includes mountain town skiers, guides, creators and people who can feed product feedback from many kinds of use. That matters for outerwear because good design often comes from small frustrations: a vent that is hard to open with gloves, a pocket blocked by a backpack hip belt, a cuff that gets shredded by ski edges, a hood that fights the helmet, or a bib that becomes impossible during bathroom breaks.
Flylow’s media projects also strengthen the brand. The Westward series profiles ski lives and mountain communities rather than functioning only as product advertising. Episodes have featured people such as Ingrid Backstrom, Sherry McConkey, Corinne Prevot and other mountain figures, giving Flylow a storytelling voice that fits its independent identity. The result is a brand that feels connected to skiers first and catalog copy second.
Denver headquarters Tahoe founders and the Jackson mountain thread
Flylow’s geography is part of the brand. The company headquarters is in Denver, Colorado, while the founders are based in Tahoe and the wider team stretches through mountain hubs including Jackson. That map explains the product range. Denver connects Flylow to Colorado storm cycles, high elevation resort skiing, backcountry access and a large Front Range skier base. Tahoe brings maritime storms, spring corn, deep wet snow and long resort days. Jackson adds steep terrain, cold mornings, tram laps and backcountry seriousness.
This geography gives Flylow a stronger identity than a generic outdoor label. The clothing is shaped around places where skiers use gear hard. Colorado tests ventilation and durability. Tahoe tests wet snow, cuffs, waterproofing and spring versatility. Jackson tests protection, pocketing, layering and exposed weather. Those environments are different enough that a product surviving all three earns more credibility than one designed only for a single clean resort day.
On skipowd.tv, Flylow’s page connects the brand to freeride POV clips, New Zealand snow, Alta, Solitude and Henry Zakowski content. That video footprint suits the brand well. Flylow looks most natural in clips where skiers are actually skiing hard, not standing still in a studio. It belongs in storm footage, ridge laps, resort freeride and everyday mountain videos.
PFAS free DWR recycled fabrics and the durability first argument
Flylow’s construction story begins with durability. The brand repeatedly frames long product life as a core form of responsibility. That is a practical and credible position in ski outerwear because the most sustainable jacket is often the one that stays in use for many seasons instead of being replaced after one winter. Reinforced cuffs, burly face fabrics, strong zippers, functional vents and repairable components matter more than vague eco language.
The brand also publishes clear responsibility claims. Flylow states that it uses post consumer recycled materials in selected fabrics and insulations, DWR treatments without PFAS forever chemicals, bluesign and Oeko Tex certified fabrics where applicable, cruelty free down and reduced packaging practices. Its responsibility page also reports greenhouse gas measurement across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, with products making up the largest part of its footprint.
This does not make every Flylow piece impact free, and the brand should not be treated like a perfect environmental solution. Technical outerwear still depends on synthetic textiles, membranes, shipping and manufacturing. But Flylow’s strongest sustainability case is concrete: build pieces that last, reduce harmful chemistry, use better material options where possible, support repair and keep skiers wearing the same bibs and jackets longer.
Choosing Baker Foxy Quantum Pro Lab Coat or gloves
Choosing Flylow starts with your winter pattern. If you ski mostly resort freeride, storm laps and chairlift accessed terrain, Baker Bib is the classic men’s starting point. It is burly, protective and roomy enough for long days. Foxy Bib is the women’s reference for skiers who want similar all condition versatility with a proven fit and functional pocketing.
If you split time between inbounds and out of bounds, Quantum Pro makes sense as a do everything shell. It is built for the skier who might ride tram laps one day and skin into powder the next. Lab Coat is the premium storm shell direction for riders who want maximum protection from a Flylow piece. Chemical Pant is a strong option for skiers who prefer pants over bibs but still want cuff reinforcement, vents and fully seam taped hardshell protection.
Gloves should be chosen by dexterity and temperature. Under cuff leather gloves work well for park, resort laps and skiers who want a natural pole feel. Gauntlet gloves and mitts make more sense for deep storm days, colder lift rides and spindrift. Flylow is strongest when built as a system: shell for weather, bib or pant for abuse, midlayer for warmth and gloves chosen for the way the skier actually uses their hands.
Why Flylow still punches above its size in ski outerwear
Flylow matters because it understands the daily reality of skiing. Its best products are not trying to win through fragile minimalism or fashion first styling. They are built around repeated use: chairlift edges, pack straps, ski boots, wet snow, bootpacks, rope tows, spring slush, parking lot changes and the kind of weather that makes cheap outerwear fail quickly.
The brand’s importance is strong but not absolute. A 4 out of 5 rating fits because Flylow is internationally recognized, independent, deeply ski focused and highly credible in freeride outerwear, but it is not a global hardgoods manufacturer or a multi category ski giant. Its influence is concentrated in apparel, gloves, mountain lifestyle and community storytelling rather than skis, boots or bindings.
On skipowd.tv, Flylow Gear belongs as a major ski outerwear sponsor. It represents durable bibs, storm shells, leather gloves, mountain town storytelling and a skier led design philosophy that has stayed consistent since the first pants and black coat. For riders who want clothing that feels built by people who actually ski in rough conditions, Flylow remains one of the clearest names in the category.
