Bozeman’s MTN Straps turns ski gear into year

Although everybody knows the best time to buy new ski and winter gear is during the dog days of summer, one rising business owner argues that it’s never too late to buy high-quality gear.

For Bozeman’s Matt Jewett, founder of MTN Straps, that belief drives everything he makes. His growing outdoor brand handcrafts ski-pole straps featuring artwork of local mountain ranges, from the Bridgers to the Tetons, and wildlife created by local artists, along with durable dog leashes and collars built to last.

Making gear that can go the distance is Jewett's year-round pursuit.

“One of the challenges of starting a business with ski pole straps is that nobody else does it,” he said. “It was, and still continues to be, somewhat an alien concept to people that they can swap their straps up. It takes