We started 20 years ago with some simple ideas...
Showcase the incredible terrain and athletes in our region and unite the East Coast ski community.
We share a common identity, a storied history, and unshakable optimism.
Today we've grown into a brand that helps carry the torch for our humble hills.
Whether you're barely a beginner or a seasoned backcountry badass, we are dedicated to making sure you stay stoked, no matter what the weather brings.
This is our story...
2001
Two skiers: Geoff McDonald and Chris “Rooster” James meet at the University of Vermont and begin filming the sport with friends. This tight knit crew becomes known as the “Meatheads” and Meatheads Films is born.
2003
The Meatheads team up with top regional athletes and legendary old ski bums. The response from the ski community was overwhelming, and the fire was lit to produce annual videos and a 50 stop movie tour.
2005
During one rowdy night a bar, an idea is formed among the whiskey fumes. It’s a simple phrase and mantra written in chalk on the dingy wall: Ski The East. The phrase is printed on some t-shirts and stickers and during the movie tours the first few humble Ski The East items were sold from fold-out tables.
2006-2012
Meathead Films continues to create an annual feature length “East Coast Ski Thriller” on DVD. They chase storms from Virginia to the Chic Chocs Mountains of Quebec, Michigan to Newfoundland, and everywhere in between East of the Mississippi.
2010
Those early t-shirts and stickers from the original Ski The East idea grows into a full cut-and-sew apparel line and the first and only all-mountain competitive event series: Ski The East Freeride Tour.
2013
After 11 years on the road making movies, and feeling the momentum of the growing brand, the guys swap out the Meathead name and became simply Ski The East.
2014 - 2019
Ski The East makes a real website and moves out of the basement and into a actual office space. Geoff and Rooster hire their first rad full-time team members and partner with a warehouse so the crew can stop burying the local post office in thousands of packages. The brand proudly partners with Fair Trade USA to ensure incredible quality and manufacturing accountability.
2020 - Today
Ski The East survives more January thaws, a pandemic, and moves back to where it all started in Burlington, opening a Flagship Store and Intergalactic HQ at 247 Main St. The company partners with 1% For The Planet, Protect our Winters, and pledges to create sustainable ski bum gear.
Shred Onward
Cheers to 20 Years 🍻
