Origins

HELE - (Hawaiian Language) transitive verb (hey-lay)

1. nvi. To go; to move; as in going, moving; 

2. often used in describing movements eg. Hele a ka lā - the path of the sun

 

"Wake up guys, it's a powder day!"

Love those words and G-Dub's enthusiasm, even if  we were feeling a little beaten up by the night before. It's winter 2008 and we've flown over to Snowbird (UT) for 10 days from Hawaii. Yesterday dropped about 16" of fresh powder on top of 2 feet in the days before.

We had pulled together a great crew with four of us from Honolulu and Matty a hardcore local. It was going to be a big day from first lift to last and we knew these guys were going to push us hard.

Gear Failure #1

We put our gear on and headed to Matty's car, man it was cold. As we got there I realized that I'd left my face mask in the back of the truck​. Crap, it was frozen solid with the "wet" snow overnight.

On the walk over to the lifts, GW pulls on his trusty neck gaiter. "Seriously man, you've had that thing for 10 years!" Cynthia quipped. "I know, but there really isn't anything better out there right now and you know I like black!" he replied. A man of performance, if lacking in a little style at times.

The first few runs were fantastic and we headed over to the next chair with a bunch of other people. A big line up and a bit of waiting, but worth every minute.
GW, Matty and I headed to a great line we could see at the top of a ridge. A bit of hairball hike but the reward was a double black drop into deep pow

As we looked down we realized that this is a serious run and we had to wait for snow patrol to clear the area. A few thuds from the avalanche crew and we're in. Not a place to be taken lightly as any missteps and you tumble, and don't stop, head over A.

Gear Failure #2

Before traversing to the bowl I took a look at my brand new gloves, and they were splitting at the seam. $119 just 2 days ago and they're falling apart already, ouch! No time to worry but a little disappointing.

We drop in and it was every bit as good as you could imagine. Back foot only and just a handful of people, skiers and boarders tearing it up. We laid down the biggest arcs and headed over toward another bowl section to take some of that too....truly epic run.

Exhausted, we landed on the cat track there was a little bit of a walk then onwards down to the chair and back up for some more. Short recovery time but totally worth it! We lapped it about 7 times and as the day drew to a close, headed down the groomers a few times to take us home, completely spent.

As we grabbed a drink at the base we had a chance to review the day and some amazing experiences. We also got a chance to review some busted stuff and reflect on the poor quality of gear we paid our good money for. Some of it failing at the worst possible time.

A Company is Born!

Cynthia​ and I looked at each other and realized, we'd found something we were truly passionate about. We all depend on our gear when we're out in the mountains, especially when conditions get extreme. You need your gear to perform as it should.

And there it started...a company focused on comfort, style and performance. They didn't have to be mutually exclusive, all three could be achieved.

We also learned pretty quickly that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Our team personally makes sure everything meets our rigorous standards. That's why our gear is made here in the USA and always will be! 

This our story of Hele and this is our mission; to make the most Ridiculously Good snowsports gear in the world.