Peak Performance Brings Skiing to Vancouver's Streets

All Images: Olli Dickerson, Courtesy of Peak Performance

Welcome parties are fun, but you know what's better? A giant rail jam smack downtown. That's how Peak Performance decided to open up their new store in Vancouver last week. As the crowds gathered in the early afternoon, some of the PNW's best skiers gathered to put on a show and claim their share of the cash prize.

Building a small terrain park on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery is about as easy as it sounds. That is to say, not very easy. Peak Performance enlisted the best to help them pull this stunt off. The pros at Arena Snowparks installed three custom-built features, including a down rail, a kink rail and an A-frame feature beneath the previous two.

Members of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Ski and Snowboard Club trucked in a staggering 2,000 cubic feet of snow to complete the epic portable setup. Assembly began around 7 AM and understandably took several hours to be completed. At 1 PM, the skies cleared and riders began warming up for the afternoon event.

Small park, big send

Art galleries are cool, but art galleries with street skiing are cooler

After three hours, qualifiers began at 4 PM. If the UBC Ski and Snowboard Club members looking to compete thought they had an easy win ahead, their hopes were shattered as a few notable pros filed in. Peak Performance athlete Mark Hendrickson made light work of the slick setup, as did fellow Canadians Shonny Charbonneau, Max Moffat and Rudy Lepine.

With $6,000 and immense bragging rights up for grabs, the comp continued into the night after finalists had been announced. The flood lights were on full blast as the stars grew bright, but eventually, winners were crowned...

Women's Podium:

(1) Shonny Charbonneau

(2) Makenna Griffiths

(3) Mili Hofmann

Men's Podium:

(1) Mark Hendrickson

(2) Max Moffat

(3) Rudy Lepine

The event was the perfect symbol for Peak Performance, a brand that remains dedicated to high-quality gear without losing sight of the core group of skiers that helped to put them on the map. The new store at 813 Burrard Street is the latest physical step ahead for the company, though they've made plenty of other moves lately, including signing Olympic hopeful and MAGMA mastermind Hunter Hess.

While we all have our preferences in gear for one reason or another, it's always good to think about who you're supporting and why. Peak's products, while not the least expensive in the game, are engineered to last and produced by a company that clearly looks to give back to the communities it occupies space in by funding projects and putting on events just like this one. The brand was founded by skiers back in 1986, but it's only recently begun bringing its Scandinavian quality to North America.

So if you're in the Vancouver area, swing by the new store, or head to the flagship operation at 2123 W 4th Ave across town. Hopefully, we'll see more epic events like this one from Peak in the near future.

Max Moffat and friends got the crowd fired up