Avon ski maker bets on bamboo.

• Author: Giebel, Brian
• Position: MANUFACTURING

While attending a ski industry trade show in Las Vegas in 2003, James Satloff won enough money playing craps to launch a ski company in the heart of Colorado's mountain-resort country with co-founder Dan Chalfant.

A bamboo ski company.

Some five years into the venture, the duo's bet on bamboo seems to be paying off. Despite a challenging economy and decreased pricing power throughout the industry, the Avon-based ski manufacturer expects increased sales for a fifth consecutive season.

Liberty's lightweight, twin-tipped skis are especially popular with free skiing enthusiasts, a segment Satloff says has experienced the most consistent growth in the ski and snow board industry since the company's bamboo skis first hit the slopes in 2004.

Why bamboo? "It's a great sustainable, renewable resource," says Chalfant, Liberty's 39-year-old president and CEO, who came from ski boot specialist Surefoot. "Bamboo grows on a three- to five-year cycle, unlike a lot of hardwoods. It also has performance benefits. It's very light, very poppy."

While Liberty's skis sell in 16 countries, the company has remained small - probably a plus in these economic times--with four employees and six U.S. sales reps. Regional retailers credit performance, innovative design, favorable reviews and deepening penetration into international markets for keeping Liberty on a growth track.

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