Apr 15

Apr 15 Amundsen Peak Anorak (2019)

Amundsen Peak Anorak (2019)

Type: Shell / Use: Active / Face: Nylon / Insulation: n/a

Technologies: Schoeller c-change stretch

Amundsen is a Norwegian retro outdoors brand named after the country’s most famous explorer. In 1911, Roald Amundsen became the first to reach the South Pole. Now, over a century later, a brand bearing his name has staked its claim on the aesthetic world he explored. And it really is a world.

Everything Amundsen does is two degrees of Roald: the Heroes Anorak (reviewed here) is modeled after the actual jacket he wore; the corduroy short shorts, presumably, a take on his knickers. Some parts of Amundsen embrace the anachronistic charm of swashbuckling, fin de siècle adventurism. Others merely nod to it – bound by convention, but rooted in modernity.

Which one the Peak Anorak is?

Well, that’s hard to say.

On one hand, the Peak packs an impressive tech package. A 3-layer Schoeller fabric armed with the brand’s c_change membrane provides expedition-levels of breathable weatherproofing. The same fabric confers a slight stretch, making the garment comfortable to move in and easy to layer. Zippers are coated and highly water-resistant. Adjustment points are plentiful and feel like they actually work.

As a cherry on top: two big side zips make for easy exits. It’s standard practice now for performance anoraks like the Arc’teryx Alpha Pullover to include one full-length underarm zip so not every layer change means pulling the shell straight over your head. Amundsen included one. And then another. It still doesn’t make up for the fact that “performance anorak” is oxymoronic, but as a lefty often pulling across my body to mess with a zip that goes above my head: nice one.

On the other, the Peak misses at the margins for reasons of heritage. Not once, but consistently. The extended hood adjustment cords make for a cool callback to vintage anoraks like L.L. Bean’s Maritime, but I found them unnecessary and a little frustrating to use. I also didn’t love how the internal knicker attachments (those tricolor ribbons on the membrane lining) felt during wear. Some way to remove them when not in use would’ve gone a long way.

Styling-wise, the branded arm patches are a particular head-scratcher for me. I understand and appreciate the expedition call-out, but with nothing else on the jacket, they look more at home on a Beverly Hills Polo Club v-neck than on a $500 performance shell. Patches on performance gear can look cool (see: TNF Trans-Antarctica). Whether it’s the graphic or the material, these ones do not.

All of the above has no material bearing on the jacket’s performance (but if you wanted to know how it ski tours, you’d probably be reading another review). The real shame of it is that they distract from what is otherwise a great lifestyle shell.

Worn casually, the Peak is just nice. The jacket’s stretch c_change is all-around comfortable. I found it more breathable than comparable GORE anoraks – which is nice, since, ya know, less pulling the whole thing over your face. The fit is also pretty darn good. I can fit a crewneck fleece under my size M and have the whole thing look trim. Personally, I chalk a lot of the Peak’s “proper” look to its forthright detailing and generally accessible feel. There’s grosgrain tabs! And a heritage-y serif font logo! It doesn’t feel #tactical or like the thing a terrain park hardo would wear as they burn you to the chairlift. And yet, it performs the same.

Which brings us back to that question.

Is the Peak – a capable performance piece both hurt and helped by its brand roots – fundamentally old, or fundamentally new?

The answer is: yes.

As a functional jacket, it’s swell (but compromised). As a style piece, it’s limited in its present form (but could be so much more with just small, small improvements). Everything that makes the Peak good is new and old. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.

Confused? Here’s the big takeaway.

Like Amundsen himself, the Peak is polar. I enjoy wearing mine, but it’s much more outfit-dependent than I’d want from a $500 c_change jacket. Your mileage may vary. If the colors take you, explore away.