The idea for Backcountry.com came from a series of brainstorming sessions where Jim Holland and John Bresee were trying to understand how a love of backcountry skiing and the Internet could be combined. Bresee ran a Website for his ski resort newspaper and had come to understand both the power of the Internet and the futility of trying to make money from a content site. After much research—and backcountry skiing—it was determined that it would be possible to bring together a community of backcountry skiing experts who sought the best gear available.

Backcountry.com was founded in 1996 with a $2,000 investment and the company reached profitability in its first full calendar year, 1997. Backcountry.com has enjoyed sustained triple digit growth every year since.

During the first few years Backcountry.com faced serious challenge from a collection of well-funded competitors. Companies like Fogdog, MVP Sports, Planet Outdoors and Altrec.com offered the promise of e-commerce riches to large outdoor vendors who were willing to drop ship or share the operational burden. Backcountry.com stuck with the tried and true tactic of firm orders, holding inventory, on-time payment, and great customer service. While the online retailer faced initial resistance from outdoor vendors who questioned their means, company by company, over seven years, Backcountry.com has built a network of well over 200 vendors who believe in their model.

Backcountry.com now services tens of thousands of visitors daily via its world-class website. As of September 2005, orders began shipping out of our new state-of-the-art 200,000 square foot distribution center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company has been recognized as a Top 50 Website by Internet Retailer Magazine, as #93 on the Inc. 500, featured on CNBC’s Squawk Box and profiled by the Associated Press and Business 2.0.

“We started with baby steps, however, and never spent more than we had,” said Holland. “We still focus on making things add up month by month (not 5 years from now). We don't take our growth and our situation for granted and recognize that we must always be evolving. The only constant is change.”

The company mantra, however, is the same as it was in 1996, “We use the gear we sell.”