TREW's all-new Powfish jacket was developed together with Colter Hinchliffe, and features a unique fishtail to create the ultimate mountain ninja suit. TREW photo.
Colter Hinchliffe, TGR athlete, mountain ninja and inspiration behind TREW’s newest outerwear line, just released the Powfish, an innovative answer to the question of how to make the best ski jacket for every day riding.
The new outerwear line contains a men’s and women’s jacket, bibs, a snowboard, and a pair of custom skis. Colter worked with Chris Pew, TREW’s product designer, to perfect his take on the jacket. The result? An all-black fishtailed ninja suit for ripping the deepest snow you can find.
The Powfish jacket is TREW’s first insulated offering, featuring Primaloft insulation that is both warm and breathable. The shell material is a stretchy 2-layer Dermizax fabric that is light enough to be highly packable but waterproof enough for a full day on the mountain. The bibs are not insulated, feature a subtly elastic material to maintain comfort, and are designed to offer quick on/off, lots of storage, and easy access when nature calls.
TGR caught up with Colter while he in between pow laps in Chamonix, to chat about his new collab work.
TGR: Good to see you getting after it in the Alps, tell us a little about working with TREW to design the Powfish?
CH: Yo! It all started last December, when Trew’s designer Chris Pew invited me to sit down with him and have a little brainstorm, in Jackson of all places.
The men's Powfish jacket was designed to be long in the torso, to provide the extra coverage Colter wanted. Only the torso is insulated. TREW photo.
I’ve been with TREW for about a decade now and have always had a lot of input on products. We talked about what we both wanted to see in outerwear in general, and my main wish was that jackets were longer. I really don’t like when the back of my jacket rides up and snow gets in. So, we bounced some ideas off one another and wanted to find out how we could make this new jacket different.
The women's Powfish Jacket is fully insulated and features similar styling. TREW photo.
That’s where we came up with the fishtail idea.
Does the fishtail have any real technical advantages?
CH: While it may look like its just for style, the fishtail actually has a technical reason: to have another layer between your butt and the snow when you sit down either on a chairlift or in deep pow. The split allows the jacket to move independently when your jumping, spinning, or just skiing around.
The Powfish bibs are not insulated, and feature plenty of pockets for snacks, phones, or whatever else you may bring on the hill. TREW photo.
You decided to go all black? Was that a deliberate design choice?
CH: Ha! Well, I always think it’s fun to mob around the resort with your ninja posse, flying under-the-radar and stuff. If there’s one thing I hate in outerwear it is color blocking. We were going to add some pink to it, maybe in the zippers or in the interior, because Chris Pew, John Pew, and I have been chasing pow for years together. We call it “chasing pink,” because when you go to NOAA and look at storm forecast maps, pink means deep. Well, that didn’t end up making it into the final design, we ended up sticking to all black everything.
Speaking of the zippers, that was one of my points of contention too. A lot of outerwear brands use those stiff waterproof zippers, which are a pain to open and close with gloves on. I convinced Chris to use soft zippers with big pulls that live under a flap to maintain waterproofness.
Partnering with Folsom Skis and Elevated Surfcraft, TREW now offers hardgoods to complement their outerwear. TREW photo.
TREW is offering skis and a snowboard to pair with the outerwear. Did you have any input with that?
CH: This is the first time TREW is actually selling hardgoods in the form of custom skis and snowboards. I did not have any direct input to the ski design, but the inspiration came from when I was riding for LINE skis and ripping around on their fish-tailed powder ski, the Pescado. TREW partnered with Folsom skis out of Denver to create the Powfish ski. Specs are: 184cm long and 116mm underfoot. The snowboard is also a swallowtail for mobbing around in deep snow.
Have fun on the Eurotrip!
CH: Thanks! It’s awesome over here, but I’m excited to get home and ski pow in my ninja costume!
About The Author
stash member Max Ritter
I manage digital content here at TGR, run our gear testing program, and am stoked to be living the dream in the Tetons.
Caden
May 17th, 2020
Sports players know how to deal with all the fitness things and they are in right time for exercise. The https://www.a-writer.com/law-essays/ share some player’s exercise videos that inspire you the most.