Naman Shrestha
From the outside, skiing appears to be a thrilling and enjoyable experience that thousands of people indulge in across the globe. However, the skiers know that the regular ski poles have quite a few design and functional issues. All of these are tackled by two skiing enthusiasts, Kelly McGee and Cristina Ashbaugh, by introducing Yardsale ski poles to the world. In the third episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 16, the two co-founders took the stage and presented their revolutionary ski poles to a panel of established entrepreneurs in front of them, in hopes of getting a deal with at least one of them and elevating their brand to newer heights.
Yardsale Ski Poles: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Skiing enthusiasts Kelly McGee and Cristina Ashbaugh were not satisfied with the quality of traditional ski poles available on the market. Not only did they find them noisy to carry, but they also found them quite complicated to handle while wearing gloves. Thus, to tackle these issues, they decided to take matters into their own hands and create Yardsale Ski Poles. However, before becoming co-founders of Yardsale, Kelly and Cristina were on different paths in their respective professional careers.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Kelly McGee earned several years of experience in the engineering industry. For four months in 2012, he served as an Engineering Intern at Applied Minds before becoming a Front-End Software and UX Intern at Fanpics for three months, from June to August 2014. In January 2014, he landed his first permanent job at MIT Media Lab as a Researcher. He also got the opportunity to work as a Product Design Engineering Intern at Apple in 2016 before receiving a full-time job in the same profile in June 2017. In between, he was employed at Moondance Adventures as an Outdoor Education Leader.
In March 2019, Kelly co-founded Elevate Movement, where he started off in the position of VP of Engineering + Design and later moved to the position of VP of Product. On the other hand, Cristina Ashbaugh earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications from Emerson College in 2018, but she already had experience as an intern at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, and Partnered. She bagged her first full-time job at Reflektive in the role of Content Marketing. A couple of years later, she switched to Samsara, Inc. in 2019 before becoming the Head of Content at Emergence Capital in March 2022. Leaving their respective professional careers behind, Kelly and Cristina came together and founded Yardsale in July 2023.
Their main objective through Yardsale is to provide better, magnetic, and adjustable ski poles and other skiing accessories to other skiing enthusiasts. In order to come up with the right design that tackles all the issues faced by skiing lovers, the duo spent around half a year and achieved their goals. While Kelly focused on the design of the ski poles, Cristina imagined making the kind of poles that could snap together and consisted of straps to maintain their shape. Launched in 2023, Yardsale aims to provide skiers a gear that lasts a lifetime while being visually appealing and comfortable at the same time. Up until now, they have launched three kinds of ski poles — P1, P2, and Mini P1. While P1 and Mini P1 poles cost $149, the P2 poles can be purchased for $189.
Yardsale Ski Poles: Where Are They Now?
From what we can tell, Yardsale was launched without any external funding. The co-founders, Kelly McGee and Cristina Ashbaugh, supposedly funded the company themselves and got into business. Besides the three kinds of ski poles mentioned above, Yardsale also provides skiers with other accessories necessary for skiing, including Powder Baskets for $20, MagStrap System for $40, and GoPro Mount for $20. They also sell extra parts, such as Resort Baskets, handles of P1 and P2 Poles, and Resort Straps. All these items, including the ski poles, are made available for purchase on the official website of Yardsale.
Interestingly, you also have the option to build a customized pair of ski poles by modifying a few components. Although their social media followers are still under 10,000 as of writing, it is only bound to rise once Yardsale gets exposure and recognition through Shark Tank. Within a year of Yardsale’s establishment, the P1 Poles earned the Core77 Design Award in June 2024. In January 2024, the founders also made the Yardsale ski poles available at the Bluebird store in Big Sky Town Center in Big Sky, Montana.
Making a huge impact in a short amount of time, Yardsale has also been featured in Harper Bazaar and Forbes. In early 2024, they collaborated with Halfdays and launched limited edition pink P1 ski poles. It was only recently, in October 2024, when Yardsale launched P2 and Mini P1 poles as they introduced their FW 24 Collection. Hoping to expose their products to a wider audience through Shark Tank, the co-founders continue to make more innovative products for skiers across the globe.
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