Max Palm and Peak Performance pull off the coolest street event in London’s history

Over the weekend, Peak Performance transformed the iconic White Grounds Skatepark into a freeski hub. Under the graffitied brick arches of London Bridge train station—thick with layers of paint and skate history—the space witnessed its first ski event. To celebrate the release of Max Palm’s signature collection, Peak Performance filled the skate park with real snow, built a custom “ice cube” feature, and invited a bunch of Max’s friends and local UK rippers to shred.

After a nervous few test runs, the riders quickly grew in confidence, all praising the set-up. “It’s actually real nice, it’s kind of a fun set-up,” Felix Klein said of Jibworx’s creation. “Normally, these things are pretty sketch but the winch is a serious bit of kit and it’s pretty easy to use. And the rail actually slides which is always a bonus.” 

The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. With the great and the good of the UK and European scene crammed in under the arches, the session kicked off in style. Ignoring the local council entirely, Max Palm—flaunting his new threads—sent it into the wall ride, boosted up into the vaulted roof, and blew the strip light clean out of its fixing.

This set the tone, as one-by-one the riders flung themselves at the wall like pieces of spaghetti trying to see who could stick. Usually filled with the sound of ply on concrete, the arches echoed with the loud scrape of steel edges down rough brick and a crescendo of cheers from the crowd. For much of the crowd it will have been the first time witnessing this type of skiing up close, and they were letting their appreciation be known.

After swapping the winch to the other side of the set up, the session started on “the ice cube”. A massive steel and perspex cube with a rail welded to the top of it, 10-foot off the ground. With the MCs hyping everyone in central London up, and the lights of the tunnel taking over, the riders started throwing down. 

No one was holding back, least of all young-gun Deja Parker. Seemingly made completely of rubber and confidence, Deja launched himself repeatedly over the whole cube battling with a misty 900. The landing area was so short that body sliding was the best way to stop but with each landing he was making anyone over the age of 30 wince with collective agony.

However, it was fellow Scottish rider Chris McCormick that stole the show. Proving why he is one of the most technical rail riders on the planet, Chris put on a clinic of big spins on the relatively small feature. A crazy 450 on continuing back 630 out had the already frenzied crowd in complete pandemonium.

“It was so crazy. It turned out so much better than we could have expected, so many people came and everyone was skiing so good.” Max Palm said after the event.  “We just had such a fun time and seeing everyone in the kit was so fun. I don’t think we could’ve done better than that, it was perfect.”

As the snowmelt ran down the street into the gutter, the party poured into the bar next door where Boom Club’s Tom Greenway had already started bouncing out UK Garage beats. There was much to catch up on, with the opportunities for the UK scene to get together few and far between, and the celebrations lasted long into the night. 

“The thing that struck me the most about the event was how well the venue was chosen. Max’s collection was something different from what Peak normally does—baggier, more youthful and grungy fits,” said Canadian rider, mountainware designer and all-round legend Annabelle Santerre. “So choosing to do it in London where people ride more indoors, dry slopes and not much street was so well fitting. It represented really well the energy that Max wanted to showcase. It was one of the coolest concepts I have seen in a while, in the most amazingly put together event for the audience and the riders. It was really special with all the energy that was brought to the event. It was like a safe street spot—it was a blast.”

Peak and Max managed to pull off an event that felt like it could begin to fill a gap in European skiing—and was easily the coolest thing to hit UK snow culture in recent memory. By proving it can be done in London, Max and Peak might just inspire a new wave of events to rival snowboarding’s DIYX and beyond.

If fashion guru Annabelle thinks the kit is cool, so should you. Max’s collection is now available in Peak Performance stores and online.