K2 Snowboards are snowboards manufactured by the sports equipment company K2 Sports. K2 Sports was founded by businessman Bill Kirschner in 1962. The company manufactured some of the first sets of fiber-glass skis in the 1960s, and delivered its first lot of 250 pairs of fiberglass skis in 1964.

K2 Snowboarding
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySports equipment
Founded1987; 37 years ago (1987)[1] (1961; 63 years ago (1961))
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington
Websitek2snowboarding.com

In 1976, the company was acquired by the investment company Sitca. In 1985, it was acquired by Anthony Industries. By 1988, the demand for snowboards was high, and by 1994, K2 had produced its own line of snowboards in a new factory. K2 became one of the top 5 manufacturers of snowboards in the United States and has sponsored a number of professional snowboarders, including Gretchen Bleuler.

K2 History

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Before World War II, Bill Kirschner, the founder of K2 Sports, started manufacturing splints and animal cages. They were the leading manufacturer of research cages.[citation needed]

In 1961, Kirchner followed the pattern of a borrowed ski to make his first pair of fiberglass skis. He then partnered with the Seattle-based ski distributor, Anderson & Thompson Ski Company. In 1964, Kirschner delivered his first set of skis at 250 pairs. The next year, it grew to 1,600. By 1968, K2 Sports separated from Anderson & Thompson to start its own distribution and marketing. Sales boomed, and by 1976, the company was sold to a private group of investors called Sitca.

By 1985, Anthony Industries, Inc. acquired 100 percent of the stock of Sitca. Anthony Industries is a Los Angeles Based company that allowed K2 to expand in its facilities. By 1988, snowboarding had a boom in popularity. In 1994, with the help of an expanded factory in Washington, K2 manufactured an award-winning line.

K2 Sponsored Riders

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Member Gender D.O.B Nationality
Gretchen Bleiler Female (1981-04-10) April 10, 1981 (age 43) USA
Jordan Mendenhall Male (1980-12-12) December 12, 1980 (age 43) USA
Shaun McKay Male (1980-11-26) November 26, 1980 (age 43) USA
Eero Niemela Male (1984-02-10) February 10, 1984 (age 40) Finland
Leanne Pelosi Female (1981-12-29) December 29, 1981 (age 42) Canada
Wille Yli-Luoma Male (1979-02-09) February 9, 1979 (age 45) Finland
Danny Larsen Male 1982 Norway

References

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  1. ^ http://www.k2snowboards.com/extras/roots/ K2 Roots, Retrieved on May 9, 2007.
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