If you are looking for a high-performance and low-volume women’s boot with Dual BOA (or Zonal BOA), there’s good news: K2 is introducing the new tech on their highest-end boots called the Cortex.

Last fall, I spoke with Kevin Schaefer and Sean O’Brien, the founders of Colorado-based Ellis Skis, to learn about what it took to start a new brand from scratch. This winter, Schaefer and O’Brien ...