Hest has hired Darrin Haugen as VP of product to support the company’s current and future product growth.
The company said Haugen has a tenured background in product development in the outdoor and ski markets, most recently in senior product development roles at Peak Ski Company and Sitka Gear. Before this, Haugen worked for 18 years at K2 Sports, where he ascended to director of Global Ski Product director.
“Haugen and Hest Founder Aaron Ambuske overlapped at K2 from 2005 to 2015 while building the K2 ski boot program from scratch,” the company said in a media release. “The K2 Ski Boot program recently reached No. 1 market share in the U.S., and Haugen and Ambuske are excited for the opportunity to build something special together at Hest.”
Haugen said he was honored to work with Ambuske and the Hest team.
“They have built an impressive brand around improving sleep comfort while camping, overlanding, and traveling,” Haugen commented. “I look forward to integrating quickly into this high-performance team and contributing to new market-leading products.”
Hest reported “significant growth in 2024, launching 24 new products and doubling sales in its e-commerce and wholesale businesses.” The company said 2025 is off to a fast start, with “March DTC sales at 3X that of March 2024 sales.”
“It continues to be a dream come true to see how far Hest has come in such a short amount of time,” said Ambuske. “As we forge ahead into this new period of growth, I am eager to work with the Hest team to continue building the business!”
Images courtesy Hest
