OCTOBER 2023 BCBUSINESS.CA 49
G
O
L
D
Evolving from drug runner
to impromptu entrepreneur,
ROBERT WATT
built one of the ski industry's
leading brands by fluke—but
also by listening
b y M A T T C O T É
o
ne can only imagine the look on Robert Watt's face
30 years ago when, in the prime of middle age, he got
pulled over with six tonnes of hashish in his vehicle.
At the time, he had a four-year-old daughter at home
and a fledgling side project helping two friends design a better ski boot
liner. The latter, amazingly, turned out to be his lifeline. Not only did it
keep him out of jail, it also turned into one of the most well-recognized
and trusted brands in the ski industry. Celebrating three decades in
business this winter, Vancouver's Intuition Liners is now considered by
many to make the best snowsports boot liners in the world. But the com-
pany's origin story is as unlikely as they come, full of feuds, mishaps,
near-misses and personal redemption.
LINING
L E A D E R S H I P
