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Quiksilver ‘High Altitude’ Collection | Retro Meets 2020

Together with Austen Sweetin and Miles Fallon, Quiksilver launch their latest collection

From a home garage in a small seaside town just southwest of Melbourne to one of the largest boards sports brands, Quiksilver has come a long way since the two Torquay locals Alan Green and John Law first started making boardshorts in 1969.

In the fifty-one years of the brand’s existence, Quiksilver’s witnessed everything from the fluorescent pinks and greens of the eighties to the 90’s grunge trend. The brand has learned how to adapt to different eras, hence their success as one of the leading snowboard outerwear brands.

“Drawing on Quiksilver’s long and fruitful journey as a board sports brand, their new ‘High Altitude’ collection is a legit representation of the brands legacy”

Drawing on Quiksilver’s long and fruitful journey as a board sports brand, their new ‘High Altitude’ collection is a legit reflection of the brands legacy. By combining the retro look with a breeze of modernising fresh air, Quiksilver’s created a collection that represents the brands’ many years of expertise. It’s a colourful outerwear collection that can be worn both on and off the mountain.

‘Inspired by an elevated state of mind’, as Quiksilver puts it, the ‘High Altitude’ line draws a lot of its inspiration from archived Quiksilver outerwear patterns. The collection consists of two jackets (The Dome and The Forever 2L Capsule Gore-Tex), the Beater snow pants, a few jumpers and some other cool bits like a cap and a pair of mitts.

Over the years, Quiksilver’s also stacked up a team with some pretty sick riders, including multi-talent Austen Sweetin and young gun, Miles Fallon. We sat down with the two to find out what makes the ‘High Altitude’ line stand out and why they’re both so stoked on it.

Miles Fallon. Pic: Jack Dawe.

Made to match the energy levels of Miles, the Forever jacket is both durable and good looking. By adding a Gore-tex membrane to it, Quiksilver ensures the jacket’s ability to keep water at bay whilst also adding its breathability. This’ll come in handy when you’re moving around a lot. Made out of recycled polyester fabric, the jacket is also very stretchy – which gives you “maximum tweakage” as Miles puts it.

“It’s not only about the tech with the Forever jacket – it also looks dope”

It’s not only about the tech with the Forever jacket – it also looks dope. According to Mr Fallon himself, “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good you ride good”.

Rocking the retro-styled Dome jacket with a 90’s graphic, Austen is super keen on Quiksilver’s new line after putting it to test in one of the wettest spots known to snowboarders, Mount Baker in Washington. “If outerwear makes it through a season in Mount Baker it will make it through anything”, Austen says. “It rains, it snows and it is wet, so there’s a lot of wear and tear here in the North West. In Utah that jacket would probably last you up to five years”.

Even if the Dome jacket hasn’t had a Gore-Tex membrane added to it like the Forever jacket, its ability to withstand harsh climates is impressive. The 10K waterproofing and 5K breathability ratings rank on the lower side of things but this jacket will serve you well on the piste, in the park, and in powder.

“If outerwear makes it through a season in Mount Baker it will make it through anything”

Curious about how an anorak style jacket would affect his riding, Austen found that “comfort and mobility are key with the Dome Jacket”. Thanks to the side zips, he points out, it’s also easy to get in and out of – whilst the loose-fitting cut gives you a lot of freedom and space for layering, even if the light insulation doesn’t require too much of the latter.

Quiksilver is also big on pushing for a more sustainable future. For 20/21, 95% of their mountain wear is made with eco-friendly manufacturing processes and materials, with both the Forever and Dome jackets being part of this 95%. In the making of the Forever jacket, Quiksilver’s used 100% Recycled Polyester while for the insulation of the Dome jacket they’ve gone for an Eco Insulation option that’s been made from recycled PET bottles.

“Quiksilver is also big on pushing for a more sustainable future. For 20/21, 95% of their mountain wear is made with eco-friendly manufacturing processes and materials”

“Quiksilver’s outerwear line has been made out of recycled materials for a couple of years now and they really started promoting it this year which I think is awesome”, Austen says.

“There aren’t too many outerwear companies out there that are taking initiative to try and use recycled fabric or, in Quiksilver’s case, take all the plastic water bottles and turn them into sick outerwear. Knowing that your outerwear is making a bit of an impact on helping the environment is a good feeling.”

Quiksilver’s also introduced a pair of snow pants to the new ‘High Altitude’ collection, the Beater Pants. “By adding the scrunchy bottom to the pants, they’ve given it a little bit of street feel”, as Austen puts it, referring to the added detail on the street-inspired pants.

The line’s signature retro pattern can also be spotted in small details on the pants, like the belt – something that gives them a nice unique touch. On top of the rad look, the pants also rank pretty high on the waterproofing/breathability scale – up at 15K/10K.

Austen Sweetin. Pic: Jack Dawe.

Comfort is key when it comes to snowboarding. Both Austen and Miles are super stoked on the jackets, and they find the ‘High Altitude’ fleeces “dope”.

Miles, in particular, is a big fan of their comfort. “I really like the polo fleeces, they’re really comfortable. And they look great, they’re super warm and they’re nice under the jacket. You can wear it snowboarding or just out in the street,” he says.

“It’s soft and cosy, it’s super warm, and it just makes you feel good in the soul”

Backing up his fellow team rider, Austen is sold on the Soul Power Fleece. “I don’t know what they do but I swear they’re so soft. It’s insane! It’s soft and cosy, it’s super warm, and it just makes you feel good in the soul,” he tells us.

We also wanted to hear what the boys thought made the whole collection stand out from what else is on the market.

“I think it [the High Altitude collection] is so special because it’s a great looking line of outerwear while being environmentally conscious, which is sick,” says Miles. “It’s just dope, and more companies should do that”.

“I think that’s the beauty of the line, it’s for everyone”

Austen found the versatility of the collection to be one of the key points of it. “It’s very stylish and street trendy focused but it also has the technicality for you to go and ride powder. I think that’s the beauty of the line, it’s for everyone,” he says. “Whatever your higher altitude of living, how you want to show the best form of yourself, whether it is in a resort, in your backyard, in rail, in the streets, in the backcountry, it’s for everyone. And it’s environmentally friendly which is awesome.”

Quiksilver’s nailed it with the new ‘High Altitude’ collection. It’s versatile, it’s high quality, it looks sick, it’s taken mother nature into consideration, and it’s made Austen and Miles stoked too. What more could we ask for?

Find the whole Quiksilver ‘High Altitude’ Collection here!

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