Hestra Gloves added three new athletes to its team, freeride skiers Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad, and big mountain snowboarder Ralph Backstrom.
Cody Townsend hails from Santa Cruz, CA, Elyse Saugstad's roots lie in Girdwood, Alaska, and the two of them reside in Squaw Valley, CA. The majority of their winter is spent skiing the big mountains of the Western US, British Columbia, Alaska, and Europe. Townsend is a world-renowned big mountain skier with an impressive resume of international competition wins and film appearances. Townsend writes for several ski publications in addition to filming in the winter. Saugstad, also a big mountain skier, is the 2008 Freeride World Champion and has been featured in many acclaimed ski films. Saugstad also works with Chugach Powder Guides in Alaska as a guest athlete.
Backstrom has burst into the big mountain snowboarding scene with numerous podium finishes in the North Face Master Tour and two first place finishes in the 2012 Freeride World Tour. Backstrom has been featured in multiple films including the 2012 Teton Gravity Research film, The Dream Factory. Backstrom spends his winters traveling to compete and film, while maintaining a home base in Squaw Valley, CA.
“We couldn’t be more excited about these additions to our US team,” said Dino Dardano, President of Hestra USA. “Cody, Elyse, and Ralph are a great fit for Hestra as they are elite riders that share a strong focus and passion for their sports; we are proud to support them.”
For more information about Hestra Gloves visit HestraGloves.com, e-mail info@hestrausa.com or call 888-939-9969. For media inquiries, e-mail marketing@hestrausa.com or call 303-209-3588.
Recently celebrating its 75th anniversary, Hestra continues to reign as one of the world’s top manufacturers of gloves. Hestra was founded in 1936 in Småland, Sweden by farmer Martin Magnusson, who began producing durable leather gloves for lumberjacks. Hestra is still run by the Magnusson family and produces gloves for winter sports enthusiasts, outdoor recreation, mountaineering, mountain biking and cycling, casual wear, and for the workforce.
