Denver turned Dan Abrams into a ski bum—a role he never abandoned after co-founding Flylow, the ski clothing company that captured Colorado’s go-hard approach to slope style. Nothing like the Cactus Pant existed before Flylow brought it to market in 2005: An ultradurable, loose-fitting work pant with sufficient breathability for hiking to sidecountry stashes adjacent to A-Basin and Vail, this category-buster was invented for Colorado’s mountain addicts. Abrams was—and is—one of those.

Born in Boston and raised in Denver, Abrams dropped out of University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business in 2004 after discovering his incongruity with its dollar-driven demographic. He tended bar at the Wash Park Grille, played bass in a blues band, taught water skiing at Soda Lake, and kvetched about how easy it was to shred ski pants.

So along with Greg Steen, a diehard telemark skier and friend from Abrams’ undergrad days at the University of Puget Sound, Abrams co-founded Flylow and convinced an overseas factory to make a small run of nearly indestructible men’s ski pants. Those debut Cactus Pants appealed to skiing’s cultlike core and emboldened Steen and Abrams to turn more chairlift meetings into products for themselves and friends.

Notching its 20th anniversary this year, Flylow now makes clothes for all-season mountain pursuits, not just skiing. Steen left the company in 2020, and Abrams moved to Tahoe, California, to be closer to his wife’s family (the couple has two elementary-age kids). Flylow is now a $22 million brand. But it remains in Denver, where the Warming Hut warehouse store in Overland is currently preparing for its end-of-winter blowout sale May 15 to 17, 2025.

Flylow Warming Hut in Denver
Close-out sale at the Warming Hut. Photo by Kelly Bastone

And Flylow’s visual style still epitomizes the freewheeling, sport-first culture that dominates many pockets of Colorado. Abrams skis nearly every day each winter, as do Flylow employees (using company passes to Loveland Ski Area). And he still designs apparel for himself, his friends, and his mountain neighbors. Everyone, in fact, seems to love Flylow these days. Sales are surging, having more than doubled from 2019 to 2024.

To hear how the company is handling its growth spurt, we joined Abrams last month for a few laps at Arapahoe Basin, where he skied as a grom. Chairlift rides remain his favorite conference rooms, and this is what he told us between turns.

Words of Wisdom from Dan Abrams

Dan Abrams wearing a Wolfie Robe
Dan Abrams modeling a Wolfie Robe at the Warming Hut. Photo by Kelly Bastone

On How To Get Started

  • I was bartending at the Wash Park Grille and thinking maybe I’d be a heli-ski guide in the winters and work construction in the summers, but then I busted my knee. So I started making a bunch of [apparel]…. The goal was to make a durable mountaineering pant that actually fit over your ski boot. That was groundbreaking, because back then, ski pants were either made for the resort or for ultralight climbing. We blended the two.
  • This was pre-2008 [financial crisis] when credit was cheap. You could write a bunch of convenience checks for zero to 2.9 percent interest. I financed Flylow with credit cards.
  • Our first pants were aimed at telemark skiers. But I thought, if you make something with good mobility and good when you’re sweaty, it’ll be good for every skier.

On Company Culture

  • Other companies court the occasional enthusiasts, the people who get out every once in a while. Flylow has always targeted the core participants.
  • All the people who work for Flylow know that they can go skiing on a powder day. You can do the things that you love to do and have a balanced life.

On When He Knew He Made It

  • The night I came home from my last bartending shift, I threw my apron in the trash. That was a watershed moment.
  • Every six months, someone comes along that thinks they can run Flylow better. But the Board [of Directors] says, “No, we’re growing so fast. We’re good.” So I stay.

On Growing

  • Flylow isn’t just for me anymore. It’s for the whole community. If I were building stuff just for myself, Flylow wouldn’t make any fleece, which I don’t wear, or bibs. Because I don’t wear bibs.
  • We made the Wolfie Robe [a fleece cover-up with pockets for a hotel key and a six-pack] because my buddy was doing cold plunges and this is what he wanted. Everyone [at Flylow] said, “No way, it’s so stupid.” We only ordered 500 of them, and they sold out immediately. We’ve since sold thousands.
  • We redesign stuff like Ford does with the F-150: only subtle tweaks. You can’t get radical with products that have become fan favorites. You’ve got to save the big changes for every five years, like when Ford switched to an aluminum body.
  • The best business training I got was running a band. You’ve got to get everyone together and produce something you can show. And you can’t let excellent get in the way of good.

On Keeping the Stoke Alive

  • I sit on the chairlift and think about product. And that makes us authentic.
  • Each January, I pay the bills and I ask myself, “Should I go in again?” I could quit. But what’s the fun in that?

On Gratitude

  • I’m 47. I can’t believe I made it this far.

The Flylow Warming Hut, which is hosting an end-of-year winter blowout sale May 15 to 17, 2025, is at 1132 S. Bannock Street in Overland.