BURLINGTON-- For high school nordic skiers across Vermont, race day brings giddy excitement as skis are waxed and hot gatorade is prepared. The warm up tracks and gear tents ll with racers, each sporting a different skin-tight racing suit—emblazoned with the name of their school. One colorful accessory unifies the aggregation of nordies: the Skida headband. Founded by Middlebury alumna Corinne Prevot in 2008, when she herself was among these young racers as a high school senior at Burke Mountain Academy, Skida apparel has charged to the forefront of the athletic-wear market, and is a nordic garb staple.
Skida products carry the adventurous and playful spirit of nordic skiing. Skida offers a variety of winter headwear and accessories, their most popular being the headband, made with cozy lightweight eece and poly-lycra blend fabric in a rotating set of colorful patterns and designed particularly for cross-country skiing. However, Prevot stated that Skida products are geared toward all lovers of outdoor adventure.
“While our hats were originally created with Nordic skiing in mind, Skida can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys outdoor activities, color, cold weather accessories, and/or soft things,” she said in an interview with The Campus.
Skida also offers a popular “Vermont Collection” that boasts unique, limited edition patterns. Its designs are constantly changing and fresh energy regularly circles the brand. Prevot emphasized the profound effect the outdoors have on Skida products.
“We celebrate an active outdoor lifestyle as the basis for Nordic skiing as a sport,” she said. “So much of our time as Nordic skiers is spent playing in the mountains, so there’s a lot to appreciate and be enthusiastic about! We do our best to reflect that energy and joy through both the function and design of our headwear.”
Prevot founded Skida during her second season of ski racing on what she describes to Misadventures Magazine as “an impulse.” Prevot explained that when she started Skida she was consumed by the sport and spent many hours considering designs—selecting colors, fabrics, fits, and styles— for the perfect Nordic ski hat. Skida captures what Prevot hopes aspiring skiers see in the nordic community: a vibrant and lively community of bold risk-takers.
Though maybe nothing more than an ingenious impulse, Skida has brought imagination and originality to Nordic ski apparel and landed Prevot a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. The list seeks to recognize the creativity of young trailblazers within their respective professions, which Prevot embodies both on and off the slopes. During her time at Middlebury College, Prevot expanded her brand and cited the range of support she received here as crucial to Skida’s development.
“While I was a member of the Nordic ski team at Middlebury, I was lucky to have such great teammates and a fun community of people to get to know. I did not know how much they’d support me and what Skida would grow into today, but I’m eternally grateful,” she said.
Middlebury also proved a valuable resource in bolstering Prevot’s business development skills. Between the wide and supportive alumni network and the diverse opportunities for growth available on campus, Prevot said that Middlebury granted her a set of tools to create and explore the many aspects of running a small business. As Prevot described to the website Womenled, she participated in the Midd Entrepreneurs program her freshman year which helped her think critically about Skida’s future and become a more practical business planner.
Prevot initially began Skida with the support of her mom, Maggie, and as the brand grew she began to enlist the help of other local women who take on roles as seamstresses, customer service representatives, and designers. Prevot described her now team of twelve to Misadventures Magazine as a group of “fabulously smart, passionate, young women”. Skida also continues to follow through on their mission to produce and source locally. Not only does local production ensure quality control and increase communication within the business, but it also creates work locally in the skilled labor sector—an area where Vermont is lacking in employment opportunities.
Beyond creating products for outdoor adventure, Prevot has also started the Skida Plus One (Skida+1) program. The initiative donates a hat to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy every time an order is placed with the +1 promotional code. Through this program, Prevot seeks to extend the warmth of the Nordic community and use her success with Skida to give back.
“For someone undergoing chemotherapy, Skida hats provide a perfect level of warmth and comfort. As an added bonus, the colorful patterns bring cheer,” the company states on its website.
Looking forward, Prevot hopes to further Skida’s development with joy, creativity and color. Through Prevot’s commitment to innovation, support of local production and dedication to service, Skida’s future is bright.
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