David Jacobs

Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Jacobs soon got into ski racing and soon thereafter started to win. A member of the Canadian National Ski Team from 1957 through 1961, David transitioned to become head coach for his team, while teaching math to make ends meet.

Following his consulting as Canadia head coach with Bob Lange, David was made President of Lange-Jacobs, Inc., from 1966 to 1969 and manufactured Lange boots in Montreal. After that company merged with Lange USA in 1969, David moved to Boulder, sat on the board of directors, and was the company's vice president from 1969-1972. During this time, he designed the first Lange competition ski boot, which became the hallmark of World Cup ski boots and predecessor to the Lange race boots used today.

In 1972 he founded The Jacobs Corporation, that would give birth to the Hot Gear line of children's ski clothing and from there launched the Spyder brand in 1978. After selling that brand to Hanso boots, he bought it back before the rear-entry maker would go bankrupt. The rest is history; Spyder's growth exploded over the turn of the century, and the company became the largest ski-specialty brand in the world. In 2004, Apax Partners, a global investment group, acquired the brand. The partnership allows Spyder to continue to expand its product line and build on its momentum. David continues to lead Spyder as CEO.