Arc'teryx

Arc'teryx is an outdoor clothing specialist that was formed in Canada back in 1989. They were bought by Salomon in 2001, and Salomon has subsequently beeen bought by Amer Sports. But enough of the history, what's their gear like ? Well their top end range is second to none for quality.You can be paying over 400 pounds for a jacket and 300 for trousers, but if you're after cutting-edge quality then you won't be disappointed - some of Arc'teryx's technical innovations often become industry standard ideas. And if you're wondering where the odd name comes from ? It's a cut down version of Archaeopteryx, which is allegedly the first bird from the Jurassic Period, hence the company logo.

Website: www.arcteryx.com

Peak Performance

Peak Performance started manufacturing ski jackets in Sweden back in the mid 80's and have grown into one of Scandanavia's biggest outdoor clothing firms. They're gear is really stylish but dont expect to get it for peanuts - you can expect to pay upto £500 for one of their GORE-TEX ski jackets, and around half that for non-GORE-TEX. If you can afford it, you wont be disappointed.

Website: www.peakperformance.com

Stockists: SnowKings is aware that Peak Perfomance gear is available at the following
Online Ski and Snow Shops : Blacks : Ellis Brigham : Snow and Rock

Schoffel

Family company from Germany that can trace its roots back to over 200 years ago. The Schoffel brand is now one of the most highly regarded in the winter sports arena. So how much are we talking for one of their lovely ski jackets ? Well, how much are your monthly mortgage repayments ? Skip one or two and you might just have enough for one of their flagship jackets - usually available at around £500. A far cry from the beginning of the 19th century, when Georg Schoffel first obtained a licence to start selling stockings ! This is also a company with a customer service that is second to none - fancy having your sleeves lengthened ? lost a hood ? need a zip replacing ? Then take the item back to one of Schoffel's specialist retailers and they'll arrange with the head office to get the problem sorted. An all-round quality brand.

Website: www.schoffel.de

Spyder

With a background that hails from creating outfits for professional ski racers, it's no wonder that Spyder is so widely respected in the industry and known as creators of serious ski gear. Formed back in 1978, when founder David Jacobs spotted a gap in the market and started making race outfits in his kitchen, the company took it's name from the early racers who wore the distinctive stripe on the legs, with fellow racers quickly nicknaming them "spider-pants". Jacobs liked this, and borrowed the Y spelling from the Ferrari Spyder car to create the company name. As well as supplying outfits to many of the national ski teams, Spyder's clothing is also available to the casual skier, with a wide range of jackets and pants, but like the car manuufacturer that the brand takes it name from, you'll need a well stocked bank account to get one, with many of the jackets over £500, and pants over £300.

Website: www.spyder.com

Helly Hansen

Helly Hansen's heritage makes it a truly genuine outdoor clothing manufacturer. The company's history dates right back to 1877 and a Norwegian sea-captain called, surprisingly, Helly Hansen, who started producing linen-oil skin outerwear for fishermen and sailors. Thanks to massive success in the Scandanavian market and a number of international awards, the Helly Hansen company was able to re-invest money into further textile research and as the 20th century unfolded it was at the forefornt of several product breakthroughs such as Linox, Lin-o-let, Helox and Fibrepile - which, thanks to its popularity amongst lumberjacks, kickstarted the multi-layering principle that is now commonplace in outdoor wear.

The start of the North Sea oil industry in the 1970s, along with the development of LIFA (a base-layer fibre that kept the skin dry by pushing moisture away from the body and through the material) further increased the demand for the company's products and allowed them to create their next advance in the 1980's - Helly Tech, allowing Helly Hansen's products to be both breathable and waterproof (tiny pores allow water vapour to pass out but no rain dropelets to get in).

Despite being taken over a couple of times sence the late 1990's the company remains based in Norway, and remains an innovate company looking for new breakthorughs in textiles and products. Thanks in no small part to the company's seafaring history, its products are obviously very popular amongst sailors, fishermen, ocean industries and watersports, but it's also gained a healthy following in snowsports too.

Website: www.hellyhansen.com

Stockists: SnowKings is aware that Helly Hansen gear is available at the following
Online Ski and Snow Shops : Blacks : Ellis Brigham : Snow and Rock

Mountain Equipment

Mountain Equipment specialise mainly in climbing jackets, and having been involved in over 100 Everest expeditions, it's not hard to realise why. Originating in the UK back in 1961 they have enhanced their expertise by working closely over the years with many of the world's top climbers and mountain adventurers. They've also provided clothing for many trips to both the North and South Poles. They also design and manufacture widely respected ski jackets, with the price range mainly coming in at £100 to £150 for a jacket. The brand is part of the Outdoor and Sports Company (OSC) Ltd group, which also features the RonHill brand.

Website: www.mountain-equipment.co.uk

The North Face

American company that specializes in outdoor clothing and equipment, including a good range range of skiwear.

The company was initially just a rental store in San Francisco back in 1968. The store was given the name The North Face and started selling it's own range of clothing and equipment. Ski clothing was introduced in the 1980's, and whilst it's well respected and a decent seller, it's the mass-market appeal of items such as fleeces and backpacks that has made this one of the world's most popular outdoor brands (for example, The North Face, along with sister company JanSport produce more than half of all the backpacks sold in the USA).

The company's name is taken from the north face of a mountain, which in the northern hemisphere is often the coldest, iciest, and therefore usually the hardest route of the mountain to climb. The famous logo is the company's interpretaion of a rock formation in Yosemite National Park called the Half Dome.

The North Face is now owned by VF Corporation, a giant US corporation that also owns brands such as Wrangler, Lee, Reef, Vans, Napapijiri and Nautica. Sales of the brand rocketed in the 1990's as some outdoor brands achieved fashionable status (think of Liam Gallagher giving it some Wonderwall in his Berghaus jacket) and 'Wilderness Chic' became a widely used term in fashion mags. So as North Face gear started to be sold in sportshops and fashion retailers, far removed from the specialized outdoor shops that were it's previous domain, so it's popularity exploded.

Website: www.thenorthface.com

Stockists: SnowKings is aware that The North Face gear is available at the following
Online Ski and Snow Shops : Blacks : Ellis Brigham : Snow and Rock