Fort Collins, Colorado · By skiers, for skiers
Who are we?
Backpacks aren't built for chairlifts. So we built a pack that is.
Our Team.
The people behind the pack.
Colt Salerno
Colt focuses on the overall vision, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy at CHAIR1. He is an entrepreneur who started and operated his first company, a moving business in Atlanta, while in college, giving him early experience in building and managing a business from the ground up. Alongside his cofounders, he is currently pursuing his MBA at Colorado State University, strengthening his foundation in strategy, operations, and scaling early-stage ventures.
He grew up skiing and has spent years in the mountains, giving him firsthand experience with the limitations of traditional gear. An avid athlete, Colt has also competed in ultramarathons, shaping his mindset around performance, durability, and efficiency. Those experiences directly influence how he approaches product decisions. At CHAIR1, he is focused on building gear that enhances performance and the overall experience without compromising affordability or sustainability, while positioning the brand for long-term growth beyond a single product category.
Chip Whiteside
Chip leads product at CHAIR1, focused on building gear that actually makes time on the mountain better, not more complicated. As a software developer, he's wired to think through how things work, break, and get better over time, which tends to carry over into how he builds products.
Alongside his cofounders, he's currently pursuing his MBA at Colorado State University, continuing to sharpen his approach to product, users, and building something people genuinely want.
Being a skier since he was 4, he's spent years dealing with the same problems that brought you here, which now directly shapes how he approaches product decisions at CHAIR1. He's responsible for making sure the product doesn't suck, so if something's off, blame him.
Austin Miller
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Austin has always been drawn to the outdoors. Spending nearly 4 years travelling across North America in a self-converted school bus allowed him and his wife to chase new adventures and experience some incredible people and places. Today he spends as much time as he can hitting the gym, hiking, camping, visiting breweries, attending music festivals, and building projects that combine creativity with his love for the outdoors.
Where it started.
Two skiers, one MBA program.
Colt and Chip met in the MBA program at Colorado State University, two skiers in the same cohort comparing dawn-patrol plans between classes.
The pack started the way most good ideas do: as a complaint. Every lift ride was a wrestling match with a backpack that was never designed to sit down. Somewhere between lectures, “someone should fix that” turned into “we should fix that.” The name came from the thing we were always chasing anyway: first chair.
The Story.
Why CHAIR1 exists.
The problem nobody was fixing
We started by noticing a specific problem: backpacks aren't built for chairlifts. Traditional packs dig into your back, shift around, and make something as simple as sitting down feel awkward and borderline unsafe when you're dangling 50 feet over the snow. The alternatives we found weren't much better. Vests offered limited storage, awkward fits, and didn't hold up over full days in the mountains. As skiers, we were constantly choosing between comfort and capability, and neither option really worked.
So we built something that does both
This is a company by skiers, for skiers, focused on solving practical problems through thoughtful design. Every decision comes back to how it feels on your body. It should be stable when you're moving, comfortable on the lift, and durable enough to handle real use. We're not adding features for the sake of it; rather, we're building gear that strives to earn its place on your gear shelf. We take a long-term approach to everything we make, scrutinizing our materials, construction, and product life. Sustainability is not something we will figure out later. It is built into how we design from the start.
Small team, tight ship
We operate close to the conditions we design for: early mornings, variable weather, and long days chasing good snow. We keep things intentionally tight to limit waste, with a small team, fast and productive iteration, and products that are shaped by real use and feedback from actual users of the product.
The goal is simple: make gear that works the way it should, holds up longer than it needs to, and leaves less behind.
Our Values.
What every decision comes back to.
Be Good Stewards
We take responsibility for what we build and how we build it, for our customers, our team, and the environment we rely on. That means thinking beyond short-term profit and making decisions that hold up over time. Sustainability is not a feature or a marketing angle. It is a core part of how we operate. We are committed to continuous improvement, even when it is the harder path, and doing business in a way that reflects the places we spend our time.
Be Adventurous
The mountains are the reason this company exists. Being outside makes people better, more grounded, and more connected, and our goal is to make that easier. We approach our products the same way we approach the mountain, willing to try new things, recognize when we've taken a wrong turn, and adjust when necessary. Not everything we try will work, and that is essential to the process. We would rather take thoughtful risks and learn than play it safe and build something forgettable.
Be Reliable
We say what we mean and stand behind what we build. We actually use our product. That shows up in how we price, how we innovate, and how we respond when something goes wrong. If we miss, we own it and do whatever we can to fix it. We test our gear hard because it should last, and we will not ship something we would not trust ourselves. We will not accept shortcuts or give inflated claims and excuses, just products that do what they are supposed to do.