Peak Skis Using Innovation to Bring Skiing Into the Future

Last season I began noticing folks ripping around on a brand of skis I’d never heard of before–Peak Skis. I asked around and learned that the skis are designed by legend Bode Miller (the best United States male alpine skier), and that the skis had a “KeyHole” design that folks seemed to love. So when I was asked if I wanted to write an article about Peak I jumped at the chance. After all, it’s not often that a brand new ski company makes it onto the podium of Outside/SKI’s overall best unisex all-mountain ski category. 

I went forward to speak with Peak co-founders Bode and Andy to discover the secrets behind the fledgling company’s meteoric rise (and if their skis really live up to the hype–spoiler: they do).

The secret to Peak Ski’s success lies in the revolutionary KeyHole technology. Discovered by accident during Bode’s days on the World Cup circuit, the KeyHole is a small oval-shaped cutout in front of the toe piece of the binding. According to Bode, the KeyHole enables an instantaneous building of pressure. Andy says, “The KeyHole allows us to have a very forgiving front third from the tip to the KeyHole which allows for really easy turn initiation.” 

Translation? Unlike other skis, which have a relatively uniform sandwich construction from tip to tail, the KeyHole allows the tip of the ski to flex differently from the section of the ski underfoot, which creates a confidence-inspiring smoothness. Andy says, “These skis are better because they make it easier and more fun to ski.”

The KeyHole technology enables a smooth ride on ice and in crud. On a traditional ski, the skier’s weight is distributed along the whole length of the edge, which means that a traditional ski has less grip on ice. According to Bode, Peak Skis boast a “hockey skate feel” because the KeyHole allows the skier’s weight to be concentrated on the section of ski underfoot, so the skis grip better on ice. 

In crud, Bode says, “When I’m skiing through loose chunder going fast, you see the tip of the ski moving, but it doesn’t affect your turn at all.” Instead, the radius and direction of the turn are dictated by the rigid section of the ski’s underfoot, and as Bode says, “they deal with chop much better than any other ski that I’ve found.”

I was able to hop on a pair of Peak skis and loved how stable they felt–none of the bumps and chunks causing the front third of the ski to wobble around affected the part of the ski under my boot. As someone who skis for work (as an instructor and mountain guide), I often find myself skiing all day on variable snow, tracked-out powder, and chunky freeze-thaw funkiness on the upper mountain, so I’m very excited to discover a ski that makes these conditions effortless and even enjoyable. The KeyHole technology is not a gimmick; it really works!

But, the innovation doesn’t end there for Peak.“Stagnation bothers me. I don’t like it when everything stays the same,” Bode says. Coming winter 2024/25, many Peak skis will include Loc8 technology that will use CrowdGPS® and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to enable skiers to precisely pinpoint the location of their skis in airports and on the slopes. As anyone who has watched a wayward ski sail into deep powder snow can attest, being able to quickly locate a lost ski can make or break a pow day. And, while making it to one’s destination sans skis is a huge bummer, Loc8 can help offer some peace of mind in the event of delayed luggage.

Peak Skis’ next innovation is focused on the ski manufacturing process itself, which hasn’t changed significantly since the 1960’s. According to Bode, “We can’t use a lot of the cool new materials in skis because of the [current] manufacturing process.” 

Peak Skis is pioneering Project Treadstone, which is a new process focused on automating and modernizing ski manufacturing. Current ski manufacturing methods take about 45 minutes per ski, but Treadstone hopes to dramatically reduce the ski assembly time. 

Best of all, Treadstone is being created with sustainability in mind, with the goal of not needing to rely on the supply chain to produce new skis. Instead, the goal is to “retask” the materials from old Peak skis to create new ones. The manufacturing process is being designed with this objective.

But, as they say, skiing is believing. I highly recommend demoing a pair of Peak Skis so you can experience the magic stability and effortlessness of the KeyHole firsthand. And, keep an eye out for what’s next at Peak, because they’re laser-focused on innovation and they’re just getting started.