Little Bear Snowshoes.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Cool Colorado Stuff - Brief Article

A design engineer by trade, Jim Watson started Little Bear Snowshoes in his garage in 1995 when he developed a new technique for manufacturing snowshoes. Eschewing the aluminum status quo, Watson perfected a lower-cost injection molding technique for making plastic snowshoes. A year later, he set his sights on making a better children's snowshoe. Existing children's products "were cheaper versions of adult snowshoes and didn't work very well," Watson said. His line immediately took 90 percent of the market and remains the top-selling children's snowshoe to this day. (The company also runs a non-profit winter ecology program that takes 20,000 kids on snowshoe treks each year.) Acquired by the overall...