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WHO BUILDS YOUR BINDINGS?

WHO WE ARE

We are mountain people. We are innovators. We are the builders of our products.

Our designs and products are born from our mountain experiences. We are as passionate about our gear as we are about the mountains. We build products that we use.

The belief that there is always a better way fuels our drive to create . Even though we are setting new industry standards with our products- we know we can make them even better and we will.

We take pride in building each product as if it were our own gear. Our products are built with our own hands. By riders for riders.

We love the mountains. We love creating. We love building our products in North Bend, Washington.

Meet the Team

Tyler Kloster

Co-Owner // Engineer

Snowboarding Since: 1987
Background: Splitboarder, BS UW Mechanical Engineering ’02
email: tyler@karakoram.com

Where does your creativity come from?
I don’t really know where my creativity comes from to be honest. I have always had some weird inner drive to figure out how everything works or why things are the way they are, especially understanding mechanical things. This, for me at least, leads naturally into wanting to make things better and creating new things.

Coolest thing you’ve done with Karakoram?
I think it has to be all the friends that we’ve made along the way

What’s your ideal day?
Finish a new prototype, zip up to the mountains for a test tour, shred a 1500-2000ft pow filled couloir, finish the day at Alps for a few runs with my 2 year old daughter.

Favorite trick
NW Method and Wildcats

Bryce Kloster

Co-Owner // Engineer

Snowboarding Since: 1987
Background: Splitboarder, BS UW Mechanical Engineering ’02
email: bryce@karakoram.com

Where did the idea for the Split30 come from?
After riding a splitboard for the first time it felt so different from a solid snowboard that the second I got home I gave Tyler a call and told him that I knew that there had to be a better way to make a splitboard. A year later we had our first working prototypes and the rest is history.

Who inspires you?
I owe a lot to my dad as he got Tyler and me into skiing at age 3 and snowboarding at age 8. He also taught us a lot about working hard and figuring out how things work. He isn’t an engineer, but he thinks like one.

Favorite thing about running Karakoram?
Snowboarding has always been a huge part of my life, so it is pretty cool to be making products that other snowboarders are enjoying.

What’s your favorite snowboard trick?
A Northwest Style Method

Kyle HansenKahn

Business Development // Marketing Director

Snowboarding Since: 1998
Background: Splitboarder, Snowboard Coach, BA in Business from University of Washington
Email: kyle@karakoram.com

Why are you a part of Karakoram?
I’ve known and looked up to Bryce and Tyler since my first year riding the Alpental backcountry. Once I saw what they had done so far at Karakoram- the product, the culture, and the people they’ve brought together, I knew this was a place for me. Not to mention the snowboarding– the office is twenty five minutes from my home mountain. It’s a good place to be.

How did you get involved?
I’d chatted with Bryce and Tyler over the years, and seen what they were doing, but I really got my foot, or should I say cast, in the door when the guys let me come in, hang out and help assemble bindings while I was recovering from bilateral ankle surgery. They helped me wheel myself through the door, and I haven’t wanted to leave since.

What do you want to do at Karakoram?
Lots! Too much to list, but one thing I’m really excited about is being a part of building splitboard culture. I want to make it easy for other people to get the same life changing experience out of snowboarding that I’ve had.

Favorite trick
nollie

Elliott Murray

Purchasing // Production Planning

Kevin Malits

Production Manager

Colin Woodward

Binding Builder / Media Specialist

colin@karakoram.com

Snowboarding Since: 2011

Background: Splitboarder, BA of Living in a Truck from the University of Dirtbag, Gummy Bear Enthusiast

Email: colin@karakoram.com

Why are you apart of Karakoram?

Not only do I get to work with a bunch of like-minded folks who all live and breathe snowboarding, working at Karakoram allows me the freedom to live the way I want and do the things I want to do. It’s no flashy existence but I am very grateful for the opportunity and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Karakoram also allows me to build friendships with a lot of really rad individuals that I would have never met otherwise.

How did you get involved?

I started working with Karakoram during high-school turning screws and packing accessories. I returned the next summer and have stuck around since building bindings, creating digital media, and helping with customer service.

Where is your favorite place to go snowboarding?

Interior British Columbia. In the 1 to 2 times I get up there every winter, there is no way I will even scratch the surface of the region. The terrain up there always humbles your perspective on the mountains.

Favorite Trick?

The turn.

Andrew Koutroulakis

Customer Service // Binding Builder

Jeff Howard

Binding Builder

Javier Bernal

Shipping and Receiving

Geary Setzer

Binding Builder

Tim Nishimura

Binding Builder

Lindsay Vertefeuille

Binding Builder

Kyle Dedrick

Binding Builder

Lola

Black Lab

Hyak

Truck Dog

Lila


Cedar

Senior Office Dog

Lucy

Shop Dog