Rigby's KLIM offering snow gear to the world - East Idaho News
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Rigby’s KLIM offering snow gear to the world

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KlimBuiding
Photos and video courtesy of Roger Sondrup

RIGBY — KLIM Technical Riding Gear, a global brand, seems like a company you might find in a large city like Boise, but not in Rigby.

KLIM Technical Riding Gear, part of Teton Outfitters, has been a brand since 1999 when it started making ski wear for search and rescue teams.

Shortly after the brand was launched, a large customer order fell through, causing the team to look for new ways to bring in revenue. Their solution was to take the gear to a trade show in Salt Lake City to see if it would sell to recreational skiers and snowmobilers. Preorder sales at the show did well and the group saw a potential market for their gear with aggressive skiers and snowmobile riders.

At the time, riding gear was thick, bulky and designed for steady trail riding, but and not much movement. KLIM’s outdoor wear was thinner and was based on a layering system that allows riders to customize their riding attire, allowing them to ride with a more aggressive style and stay warm in the backcountry.

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“KLIM provides a different experience when you ride,” said spokesman Stephen Clark. “There are so many different types of clothing and layers you can really customize what you wear.”

After 15 years in business, KLIM is now a world-renowned brand in snow equipment with more than 100 employees. It is based in Rigby, where the company designs and tests all of its equipment.

“We were born here and are staying here,” Clark said. “This area has some of the best terrain in the world for riding.”

The terrain and varying weather of eastern Idaho allows KLIM to test all types of different products, and more importantly allows its employees to play as hard as they work.

KLIM gear is designed to handle such extreme conditions and made from so many different parts, because that’s what riders need and want, Clark said. Riders often spend several days at a time in their gear, practically living in it, and need gear that can handle a variety of weather conditions and riding styles.

“I use KLIM gear because it’s breathable, waterproof, and functional. I rely on it each time I head into the backcountry,” said Dan Adams, who operates a snowmobile-training clinic in Alpine, Wyoming. “When conditions in the backcountry change, it’s comforting to know that I have so many layering and outer shell options to plan the ride ahead.”

Adams spends about 100 days in the backcounty riding and wearing KLIM gear. Adams, a sponsored rider, is contracted to promote and provide feedback on the product.

More recently, KLIM has branched out into other areas as well, including motorcycle gear and safety gear, which launched this past year. The changes allowed the business to bring the KLIM riding experience to more people all over the world, Clark said.

KLIM has opened distribution centers in Canada and in Europe, allowing it to get more products to more people faster. KLIM gear incorporates materials and skills from all overt the world to ensure their product is top of the line.

“The garment is only as good as the parts and skill that goes into making it,” Clark said. KLIM uses brands such as Goretex, 3M, Kevlar, and Velcro to make various parts of their riding gear. Together these parts make the high quality gear KLIM is known for.”

Additionally, KLIM offers a wide variety of other products that aim to elevate the riding experience, whether it’s on snow or dirt.

Despite the company’s growth, Clark says it is staying in eastern Idaho. Due to it’s location KLIM has the ability to purchase more land as it needs and keep expanding.

In early December, KLIM finished doing just that. It remodeled and added more office space and a showroom to the building:

KlimShowroom

KLIM products are available online and at several retailers, including local store Action Motor Sports. For more information, visit its website at KLIM.com.

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