About 61'st
Sixty First Parallel was founded in Anchorage, Alaska in the spring of 2020 on the second day of quarantine by two local ski coaches.
We started with the idea that high quality, locally designed ski gear doesn't have to come at a premium price. By sticking to simple functional designs and working with manufacturers we trust we are able to offer reliable products that lower the financial barrier to entry for the sport we love.
Almost two years later, and were proud to finally launch our poles and accessories to the Alaskan ski community.
The Owners:
Morgan Hartley grew up skiing with his parents in Anchorage, Alaska and began skiing competitively at Dimond High School. Morgan trained with Alaska Nordic Racing while they maintained an Anchorage chapter, and later with Alaska Winter Stars.
Following a self proclaimed "uneventful" ski career he began coaching at Dimond in 2016 and hasn't looked back since. He's also worked as a deckhand and a captain and has almost finished more degrees than you've ever thought of starting. Currently he's managing Alaska's only outdoor consignment shop and working to bring brands like Madshus and Kaestle back into the competitive side of Alaska skiing. His favorite wax is Rex Power Grip Green.
Naomi Kiekintveld skied 4 seasons at South while with Alaska Winter Stars for 5 years. After high school she went to ski for Michigan Tech University. While at Tech she began to teach skiing at the beginner level for the Michigan Tech ski club and loved it. While unfortunate circumstances took her from racing she didn’t want to leave the Nordic scene. She decided to start coaching with South in 2017. Naomi also coaches the Juniors program of the APU ski team. She has also coached for Team Alaska at Junior Nationals and would have been a coach at Arctic Winter Games in 2020. Her day job is being the General Manager at one of Alaska's fastest growing storefronts. Her favorite wax is Vauhti K18.