Former Little Bear, Atlas, Tubbs Snowshoes Factory Nears One Year Anniversary of Closing

Former employees of the closed Grand Junction snowshoe plant, the WinterQuest snowshoes factory, are reported to be planning an informal gathering to mark the closing of the factory in February 2004. The former Grand Junction plant manufactured Atlas Snow Shoes, Tubbs Snowshoes and Little Bear snowshoe models. Former plant managers said it produced 100,000 to 120,000 pairs of snowshoes annually, accounting for most of the snowshoes made in the United States.

K2 Inc., which purchased WinterQuest in 2003, outsourced the snowshoe manufacturing operations to an existing manufacturing facility in southern China, costing Grand Junction 20 year-round jobs and about 120 seasonal production jobs.