Like a lot of folks out there, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with cotton as a material used for ski clothing for eons. But, full disclosure, not gonna lie, I still have a couple of vintage Vail and Whistler cotton turtlenecks buried deep in a closet with other cherished skiwear items I can’t seem to part with.
Again, like many of you who spend a lot of time in alpine settings, I’ve always loved the look and initial feel of cotton, but hated its inability to breathe, and the resulting hours of skiing with sticky, sweaty inner layers clinging to my skin like damp dish rags!
So, like most everyone else, cotton ski clothing and I parted ways in the early 1990s, when man-made breathable and moisture wicking fabrics became the outdoor clothing industry standard. And, like many of you I never looked back – that is until I saw an Instagram post (about 18 months ago) from Amundsen Sports about a revolutionary new 3-layer cotton shell jacket and pants they were introducing to their highly popular Peak Collection.
According to Amundsen Sports (yes one of its founders is a relative on famed 20th century Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen), this game-changing tech shell jacket and pants are constructed from three layers of organic cotton – sandwiched around a cutting edge, nanoporous membrane technology – that the company says delivers exceptional water resistance and breathability to the wearer.
My interest peaked, and as someone who’s been wearing shells and jackets from Amundsen’s Peak Collection for the better part of a decade in the mountains, I decided to put the company’s newly launched Peak Cotton Shell Jacket and matching Peak Cotton Shell Panther Pants to the test last winter. Spoiler Alert – I was extremely impressed.
LOOK AND FEEL
In terms of look, I knew I picked the right jacket and pant combo (Pinstripe Blue) while I was on assignment at the Kvitfjell & Hafjell World Cup men’s alpine skiing races in Norway last March, when a female colleague told me that I was really lucky my jacket would be too big for her – because if it was in her size, I wouldn’t be leaving the media center with it on my back! I did inform her that the exact same jacket and pant combo was also available in women’s sizing…thankfully that seemed to calm her down.
As a ski fashion editor and notorious clotheshorse, I have a closet full of skiwear and rarely travel into the mountains without multiple ski suits crammed into my luggage. With that said, I have to admit I have never had a ski suit that garnered more praise from friends and strangers than my Pinstripe Blue Amundsen Peak Cotton Shell and Panther Pants combo – and all of a sudden I’m packing less as I’m kinda lovestruck with this suit.
During the 1980s I worked my way through university as a part-time retail sales associate at the Polo Ralph Lauren shop in Montreal, Canada. And now, thinking back, I can honestly say my all-time favorite outfit for work was a crisp, light, cotton, single-breasted, blue pinstriped, seersucker summer Polo dress suit. This is very probably why I’ve fallen head over heels over its winter-friendly Amundsen Sports cousin, it just looks fabulous.
Oh and did I mention that head to toe pinstripes are super flattering, even to those of us who no longer identify as sleek and slim…just sayin’!
TECH AND FUNCTIONALITY
Since its inception Amundsen Sports’ guiding philosophy has been “innovation through tradition” and that’s exactly what they’ve accomplished with this suit. The melange of a sustainable, eco-friendly fabric like organic cotton with an avant garde, high performance membrane, and the traditional styling of Amundsen’s Peak Collection is pure genius – a trifecta of elemental protection, breathability, and classic style in one fell swoop.
In terms of design, the Peak Cotton Shell Jacket has a roomy helmet-compatible hood, a multitude of pockets (including a lift pass pocket on the left sleeve), and zippered side ventilation that extends from the underarm almost to the waist as extra exit points for internal moisture.
The Peak Cotton Shell Panther Pant also has zippered side vents and adjustable waist straps, which are very handy if you want to tighten up a bit. Both the jacket and pants are constructed from a stretchy PFC-free cotton/nylon material made primarily out of BCI Pima certified cotton (67% organic cotton, 26% nylon, 7% lycra). Both pieces are extremely light, easy to wear, very quiet (no crinkly shell sounds and noises), and even more exciting, easy to pack.
On its website, Amundsen Sports very correctly describes the mindblowingly-effective and innovative fabric tech at the heart of these highly breathable, water resistant pieces like this…
“The core of this fabric’s innovation lies in its Microporous Electrospun Membrane. Through the process of electrospinning, nanofibers are intertwined to form a porous web-like structure. While being ultra-thin and breathable, this membrane functions as an exceptional elemental barrier. This unique interplay of features strikes the perfect balance between protection and breathability, creating a new ‘gold standard’ for organic fiber-based performance outerwear.”
Having worn this suit (with proper inner layers) in temperatures as low as -25 Celsius in Norway, and high as +20 Celsius in Whistler last winter in snow, wind, rain, and under blazing sun, I can vouch for its incredibly efficient breathability, moisture-wicking capability, and outstanding wind and water resistance. Ultimately, my only problem with Amundsen Sports’ Cotton Peak Shell Jacket and Panther Pants is that they come in three other colors (Faded Navy, Warm Sand, Earth) that are unfortunately currently missing from my closet.
For more information about this fabulous cotton shell jacket and pants combo, and a host of other outdoor clothing essentials that strike the perfect balance between tradition and innovation, go to: www.amundsensports.com.
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