Vail-based SYNC Performance makes innovative ski apparel

Successful Kickstarter campaigns have allowed the company to develop high-performance gear

ColoradoBiz Staff //March 11, 2019//

Vail-based SYNC Performance makes innovative ski apparel

Successful Kickstarter campaigns have allowed the company to develop high-performance gear

ColoradoBiz Staff //March 11, 2019//

A Vail-based ski apparel company has successfully used Kickstarter to fund production of a new product for the third time, hitting its $15,000 goal in just eight hours. SYNC Performance’s campaign, which was set to run for a month, will fund the first run of a down ski jacket made with revolutionary technology.

“This stitchless construction technology allows incredible flexibility, weatherproofness, durability, and overall performance,” says Geof Ochs, SYNC Performance co-founder and former NCAA ski racer. “We eliminated the pitfalls that come with a traditional down jacket such as down leakage, water penetration, and ripping.”    

The Engineered Down Jacket will come in three colors and will be available in both men’s and women’s sizes. It will feature an adjustable and removable helmet-sized hood, YKK AquaGuard taped zippers and DownTek 90/10 750 fill high-quality down certified to the Responsible Down Standard. Donors to the Kickstarter campaign will receive their jacket by October and at $199, 50 percent off the retail price.

SYNC Performance was founded in 2014 and has grown from developing ski racing apparel and gear focused on technical functionality and durability to expanding its collection to make equipment that is designed for free ride and backcountry mountain activities. Their products include men’s and women’s ski jackets, pants, bibs, boot and ski bags. This spring, they launched a dry land athletic wear line that like their ski apparel, is durable, high-quality technical wear made with off-slope style in mind.

In their product development, SYNC Performance uses the technical knowledge and expertise from independent ski racers and teams as well as feedback from former racers. “It's not the product that makes us better, it's the insights we glean from high-performance individuals who take gear to the next level,” Ochs says. “As a brand, we have expert knowledge in the raw material world and a network of athletes, which gives the ability to identify the proper fit for innovative technology coupled with their feedback.”

SYNC's Elevate the Athlete program that donates 10 percent of sales to support mountain sports grassroots organizations to continue the popularity of the sport and give them future athletes to work with.

The success of not only the company’s Kickstarter campaign but the growing demand for continued innovation in performance outerwear has made SYNC Performance a Colorado company worth watching.