Meet Dan Russell | Hovland Snowskates CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind the success of Hovland is passion. We’re able to persevere through so many challenges because we love snowskating and the snow sports industry.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The idea for Hovland began on a snowboard trip. A friend of ours introduced us to all-mountain snowskating and we immediately thought it was an activity snowboarders, skiers, skateboarders and surfers would love.

There were some really cool boutique brands making small numbers of snowskates, but there wasn’t a lot of inventory available. We knew that if we started a brand that participated in the snow sports industry through trade shows, on-hill demos, sales reps, distributors, etc., more people would have the chance to try snowskating and would fall in love with it just like we had. It took a while to figure out all the details, but a few years later we had snowskates in retail shops.

The challenges along the way were, and continue to be, daily. But we are sustained by seeing the passion that people bring to snowskating. And by seeing snowskating grow. What we’ve learned is do what you love. It will give you the energy you need to handle the obstacles along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s no shortage of amazing restaurants in and around Denver. Some of our favorites are Sushi Den by Wash Park, Jerusalem by the University and any taco spot you can find. There’s also a ton of great food in the RiNo District of course. And we’d probably go to Red Rocks for a show if possible, hang out on some patios of local bars, and head to the Arvada skatepark. We’d definitely try to hit up a show at the Bluebird or one of the many rad venues in Denver too. And I’m sure we’d end up at Black Shirt Brewing more than once as well. So many options for a great hang in Denver.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our Shoutout goes to all the snowskaters out there pushing their own progression and helping to build the awareness of snowskating. Although small and still emerging, there are so many snowskaters all over the globe helping to grow all-mountain snowskating. Without them, Hovland wouldn’t be having nearly the impact we’re having.

Website: https://www.hovlandsnowskates.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hovlandsnowskates/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hovlandsnowskates/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC26qqR-30tgR21SDbq43naw