K-2, Corporation. was founded in 1961 by brothers Bill and Don Kirschner on Vashon Island, near Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, Washington. K2 is known for pioneering fiberglass

Fiberglass

Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...

 ski technology, which made skis significantly lighter and more lively than their wood and metal contemporaries. Famous users of K2 skis include Seth Morrison

Seth Morrison

Seth Morrison of Summit County, CO is a professional skier. He has won numerous competitions and appears in many ski movies. He was born in Murray, Kentucky. Morrison has survived avalanches, a helicopter crash, and miles of vertical on huge Alaskan faces. He is the oldest member of the K2 Factory...

, pro champion Spider Sabich

Spider Sabich

Vladimir Peter Sabich, Jr. was an American alpine ski racer. He was a member of the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1960s and competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics; he was the pro ski racing champion in 1971 & 1972.-Early life:...

, World Cup

1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 17th season of World Cup competition began in December 1982 in Switzerland and concluded in March 1983 in Japan. For the first time, the overall titles were won by two Americans, Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre, who won his third consecutive overall title...

 and Olympic

Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics

Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Sarajevo, Yugoslavia .The men's races were held at Bjelašnica, the women's at Jahorina from February 13-19, 1984....

 champion Phil Mahre

Phil Mahre

Philip Mahre is a former champion alpine ski racer, widely regarded as one of the greatest American skiers of all time...

, and his twin brother Steve Mahre

Steve Mahre

Steven Mahre is a former alpine ski racer and younger twin brother of ski racer Phil Mahre....

, World Champion

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 were held in Schladming, Austria, between January 31 and February 7, 1982. The women's races were held in Haus im Ennstal....

 and Olympic

Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics

Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Sarajevo, Yugoslavia .The men's races were held at Bjelašnica, the women's at Jahorina from February 13-19, 1984....

 silver medalist.

In late 1969, the company's rapid growth required new capital and Bill Kirschner decided a well-financed partner was necessary.