Klaus Obermeyer Celebrates 105th Birthday

Obermeyer—the man, not the brand—was born in 1919 in Oberstaufen, Germany, a small Bavarian village. As a child, his tendencies as a tinkerer and passion for skiing became evident when he fashioned a pair of skis by using the slats of a wooden crate. Obermeyer went on to study aeronautical engineering, finding work at the Dornier Aircraft Company in the 1930s.

Then, Obermeyer left Germany and headed to Sun Valley, Idaho, where he bumped into the famed ski filmmaker Warren Miller. The two became friends. Before long, Obermeyer was selling neckties and shoestrings out of the back of Miller’s car.
 
Aspen, Colorado, though, was Obermeyer’s longtime home. When he first arrived, he took up ski instruction, noticing that the gear his clients used could be improved upon. The ski coats, boots, and pants of yesteryear weren’t adequately designed to protect skiers from the elements. And if ski instruction clients didn’t show up because they were cold, Obermeyer wouldn’t get paid. So, he set out to improve the skiing experience by making people more comfortable.
 
Obermeyer’s designs include the quilted parka, goose down parka, dual constructed boots, high altitude suntan lotion, turtleneck sweaters, mirrored sunglasses, nylon wind shirt, flow inner boot and ski jeans.

These efforts eventually spawned Obermeyer, the now well-established ski outerwear company. In 1997, he was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame.

“The philosophy of Obermeyer didn’t go by decade. Our aim was to keep making life better in the mountains. That’s still our philosophy,” said Klaus in a blog post shared by Obermeyer. “We have always tried to make things that make us proud and make people’s time in the mountains more fun and more safe.”

Since 1947, Obermeyer has remained in Aspen, Colorado. His love for the place is apparent, and Aspen loves him back. During a celebration of Oberymeyer’s 100th birthday in 2019, hundreds gathered to offer him their well wishes in the Hotel Jerome ballroom.

“Aspen is a phenomenal town. The climate lends itself very well to outdoor sports in winter and summer. There is always something fabulous to do or experience,” he told the Aspen Times.

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