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The eponymous stores are as impressive as Stefan Kaelin’s pedigree as an athlete, entrepreneur and visionary. Two-time Olympian and 10-year member of the Swiss National Ski Team, Stefan Kaelin brings his expertise and exceptional knowledge to his customers and his staff at the two store locations.
As a child in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, a small mountain town near Zurich where he was born and raised, Stefan dreamed of flying fighter jets through the Swiss Alps, banking off the Matterhorn, diving into narrow valleys and executing perfect turns over pristine terrain. And, he did accomplish a form of that dream, albeit on the ground carving turns rather than in the air during his career as a ski racer … Stefan won four Swiss National Championships, a Military World Championship and ten FIS races.
After traveling the world for ski competitions, Stefan was enticed by the opportunity he saw in the US and in 1969 he accepted the position of Rocky Mountain Region sales representative for Head Ski-Sportswear. With a desire to expand the scope of his expertise, Stefan then became General Manager of Raichle-Molitor USA, a subsidiary of Raichle of Switzerland in 1972.
In 1975 Stefan and his wife Stascha moved to Aspen, Colorado where they founded Kaelin Enterprises and Kaelin Corporation, Inc., and opened their first retail store. Before long the Kaelins were known in industry circles for operating the leading ski specialty stores in Aspen and Snowmass. In 1983 they were honored with the "Ski Retailer of the Year" award by their peers, the members of the trade organization Ski Industries of America.
Stefan's natural progression within the ski industry has given him an incredible breadth of knowledge going from sales representative to retail business, to fashion importer to designing and manufacturing his own skiwear line.
For winter recreation, besides skiing, Stefan has developed a love for snowboarding. After taking a board out for one day more than a decade ago, he was hooked and can now be found boarding at Tiehach in Aspen, Colorado almost as often as skiing down Aspen Mountain. During the summer and fall Stefan has a Hobie Cat ready to race or a set of golf clubs ready to play on trips to Europe or within the US and a mountain bike at home ready to ride the Aspen Vistas and round out his active lifestyle.
Stefan and Stascha Kaelin have two wonderful children, Nadja and Sandro, who are both avid skiers as well.
