Perfect fit at Peak Performance
Montreal’s first Peak Performance store, showcasing the brand’s Swedish-style ski, sport and prêta-porter collections for men and women, is nestled somewhere in the Dix30 shopping complex, although the shop can be tricky to find.
“The second time, it’s easy,” assured Yves Tremblay, who owns the franchise shop with his girlfriend, Marie-Josée Proulx.
Peak Performance was launched in 1986 in ski village Åre, Sweden, by world-class mogul skier Stefan Engström, along with two partners (a third joined later). Peak’s signature down-to-earth look offered an alternative to the neon ’80s ski fashions. Today, the brand still boasts heritage-style pieces, including an army green parka with a corduroy collar for men ($349.99) and Scandinavian sweaters for women ($99.99), but its ski collections now embrace flashier palettes like orange, purple and pink (for women).
“The (bright) colours are still not too flashy. They fit perfectly on the mountain,” Jean-Luc Brassard, Olympic champion in freestyle skiing and company spokesman, noted at the store’s opening event. Brassard, trying on the Heli Regulate, a purple base liner jacket with a hood ($299.99), said Peak clothes meet a high-performance skier’s needs.
“I find the fit perfect because it’s a little bit tight,” he said, noting that baggy clothing allows cold air through. “The hood is also really tight and comfy,” he said sealing up the straps, “and it dries super fast.” Other merits include a high collar, reinforced shoulders, insulated zippers, hip gaitor straps for powder skiing, and even a handy goggle wiper in the breast pocket.
For chilly mountaintops, Brassard sealed the look with an orange Heli Alpine jacket with waterproof Gore-Tex ($699.99). “It’s a beautiful little outfit,” he beamed, looking ready for his ski trip to Japan in January.
Peak Performance is located at 9130 Leduc (unit 145) in Brossard, at the Dix30 shopping complex.