Meet Jill Van Slyke | Business Owner | Skier

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Van Slyke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
A few years back, I was looking for a change with a better work/life balance and had started thinking of transitioning out of a more corporate environment. My family happened to come across this really awesome company, Purl, that had been around since 1999. The opportunity to acquire it kind of fell into our lap at a good time… and I just took a leap of faith in doing something new! It fit in with a lot of areas that I’m passionate about: outdoors, snow sports, wanting to run my own company while having a more flexible schedule to spend more time on the mountains and with my family.

What should our readers know about your business?
Purl roots are in Colorado…. but our company mission extends much further. Founded off “Pearl Street” in Boulder, the company is devoted to creating ski and snowboard wax without the use of toxic fluoros or other toxic additives. We now also carry a full range of performance driven waxing tools and non-toxic snow products to keep you gliding.

Growing up in a ski family, I learned to wax and tune at a young age and went on to race in college. My love of snow brought me from the east coast to Colorado. Now based in Eagle County, as a woman-owned business, I am stoked to have been able to grow Purl out of our garage and expand into a commercial space, while still keeping our grass-roots vibe.

Purl is proud to donate 1% of all sales to environmental conservation organizations, as a Member of 1% for the Planet, and we strive to make a positive impact with minimal imprint on the environment in all aspects of the company.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love living and working in Edwards, CO. My perfect winter day around here would start out with an espresso drink from Yeti’s and a fresh bagel from Village Bagel. Then head up to the mountain to make some turns.

We are fortunate to have amazing ski/snowboarding within just a few miles. Most people come to town to ski Vail and walk around the village …. but our go-to to get away from crowds, great groomers and sneaky pow is the Beav (shhh!). There are rarely lines and a ton of great expert terrain and tree skiing, if you know where to head. If you make it until 3pm, grab a free cookie and/or an apres drink at the Coyote Cafe to wrap up a good day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to my Dad who was the catalyst and partner in my career shift. He has always been supportive and encouraging through my life and is one of the hardest working people I know….. He’s 80 now and still won’t retire! Growing up, he would take our family on ski trips and definitely grew my passion for spending time outdoors in the mountains. Out of college, it led me to move to Colorado and be a ski bum…. 20 years later I’m still here -so I guess it worked out!

I am also really thankful for all our loyal customers, partners and ambassadors that have stood by our brand and helped it grow!

Website: www.purlwax.com

Instagram: @purlwax

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