Peak Skis: Catching Up with Bode in Sölden & November Promo

Published by Kyle Watson on

It’s not every day you get to go to the World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria and watch the race with Bode and the whole PEAK SKI family, but then if you’re an ADL Member on the 1st Annual Willy’s Run… you did just that! We didn’t waste the opportunity either. We picked Bode’s brain on optimal binding mount positions, his favorite ski in the lineup and more.

November Promotion Save $275.00 with Discount Code: ADLSKICLUB & WHITEHOT and get a bonus $150 gift certificate. Ends November 30th.

The Peak Team were in Sölden to announce the entry of the brand into the European market with their launch of the new Peak 78. The GS race weekend provided a great media opportunity to get the word out during the hype filled weekend. As luck would have it, our 1st annual Willy’s Run trip ended in Sölden for the races and our Saturday VIP access put us in the same restaurant with Peak. As a Peak Operative I had already met Chief Marketing Officer Tracy Chang, over the phone so she was gracious enough to introduce me and the others on the trip to CEO Andy Wirth, Chief Product Officer Darrin Haugen and some of the key investors in Peak and of course Bode Miller.

(L to R: Andy Wirth, David Whitlock, Kyle Watson, Tracy Chang, Morgan Miller, Bode Miller, Darrin Haugen, Paul Danielson)

My first question for Bode was which Peak Skis are his favorite? Out of the 88, 98, 104, 110 and new 78 Bode said by far his favorite was the Peak 98. According to Bode, the sidecut and overall flex characteristics of the 98 turned out precisely how he wanted. He said with his Scarpa Boot set up with the bottom buckles tight and the top buckles loose, it allows him to get very forward on the skis, creating great angles and combined with the versatility of the 98 sidecut he can just as comfortably ski GS turns as well as Slalom. In fact, he told a wild story of participating in a beer league type course (Nastar/City League GS) with some Dartmouth University Racers who were all on race setups. Bode was on the 98s and according to him he was able to initiate turns in more optimal spots the hill than they could on their race setups and he beat them all… to their astonishment. He is Bode after all. He also said he could race them easily in a slalom as well. Which led us to talk about binding mount positions to optimize the KeyholeTM technology.

Based on years of Bode’s subsequent tinkering, Peak’s proprietary KeyHole Technology™ is an oval cutaway in the upper layer of alloy of every Peak by Bode Miller ski. Like the best innovations, it’s simple. But the benefits are wide-ranging: On-trail, it’s easier to vary turn shapes because of that forgiving forebody. Off-trail, because the KeyHole™ allows us to reduce the sidecut of our wider skis, they track better in soft, crusted, and unconsolidated backcountry snow. What’s more, no matter where you ski or at what speeds, the KeyHole™ supersizes each ski’s sweet spot (balance point) at every length. They’ll feel at home on your feet.

Peak Skis Tech Article

Binding Mounting Position:

Bode said the secret to the right mounting point for your bindings depends on your boot length and forward lean. For me, with a 26.5 or 302mm boot sole length and a pretty aggressive forward lean from my Atomic Redster 130s – He said the mount point should be 2-3 cm forward of center to optimize the Keyhole™ flex and performance. For smaller skiers with smaller boots like women and teens (21-24 boot sizes) he said the mounting point might even need to be 3-5cm forward. Bode recounted a story from last winter where two women were demoing the Peaks with him. They skied off and made 3-4 turns with Bode behind them watching. He shouted for them to stop. He moved both their demo bindings forward a few clicks and told them to try it now – both women were shocked how much better the skis performed.

With our fleet of demos, we have the luxury of being able to move the demo bindings backwards & forwards to find the perfect position for your individual setup. When you try our skis this winter play with the setup on one run to the next. Bode said when you get the KeyholeTM position right you will know it!


November Promotion: From now until November 30th you can get $200.00 off Peak Skis and an extra $75.00 with the ADL Discount Code: ADLSKICLUB & WHITEHOT. You will also receive a bonus $150.00 gift certificate good at PEAK until December 31st. – Thats $275.00 total off on skis and another $150.00 to use towards another pair of skis, accessories or gift it to a friend. Total Value $425.00

Peak Demos in Seattle: Don’t forget the ADL is your source for Peak Ski Demos in the greater Seattle Area. Hit us up and take a pair of Peaks out for a day. We will also be hosting private demo days at Mission Ridge, White Pass, Alpental/Central and Crystal Mountain throughout the Winter. Email us at info@adlskiclub.com to reserve your demos this winter.