Louisville powderhound looks to expand Austrian ski brand’s U.S. presence

While most of the ski world is trying to go downhill, Mike Hogan is thinking the opposite.

Hagan, the Austrian ski mountaineering brand he owns the North American distribution rights to, is aiming to capitalize on an ascending uphill ski culture. The business sells skis, bindings, boots and skins — sticky attachable strips that give twigs traction in the snow — made specifically for touring the backcountry.

“With the price of lift tickets, and the traffic on I-70 and the crowds and lines and just the difficulty it takes, the commitment that it takes to be a downhill skier today, it’s driving people to say, ‘Hey, you know, I can do this on my own,’” the longtime Coloradan said.

In a black diamond-grade tongue twister, Hogan bought Hagan’s distribution rights from Mike Hagen, a cycling an