“Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know. Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.” — George Kneller
New for 2011, the Reach The Peak™ Hybrid Down Jacket from Columbia is a prime example of the company’s new attitude. Released as part of their fall collection, this isn’t your grand-pa’s puff-ball down jacket of a bygone era. Nixing tradition, Columbia has utilized innovations in design techniques and material technology to reduce the bulk while still providing the warmth you need when your favorite mountain freezes over.
The Reach the Peak Jacket uses a lightweight nylon material insulated with 700 fill down keeping you plenty warm while you chill out at the lodge. The exterior shell is crafted with Columbia’s Omni-Shield® advanced repellancy fabric that guards against spills, snowballs and icicle drips. Meanwhile the Tactel™ nylon ripstop, is there to protect your jacket from protruding branches while you’re shredding in Aspen.
On the inside, Columbia uses its patent pending Omni-Heat® thermal reflective lining. While it may look like something out of your aunt’s 1920’s formal wear collection, it’s definitely not. This thermal reflective technology manages body heat through a system of tiny silver dots. Similar to an emergency blanket, Omni-Heat’s dots bounce body heat back at you while at the same time allowing excess heat to escape through the permeable/breathable regions between the dots thereby preventing your body from overheating.
According to Columbia, the Omni-Heat technology on average boosts heat retention by 20%. Columbia’s Omni-Heat technology kicks in when you need it most and helps regulate body temperature while keeping you comfortable without compromising your performance.
For those moments you decide to leap from your cabin roof into the snow drift below, Columbia has included swatches of super-stretching knit pieced in where you need them most, like under the arms and at back shoulder. Now you’ve got a down jacket that can keep pace with your active pursuits or winter stunts. 
Other notable features include the addition of snaps instead of zippers on the pocket closures that helps to reduce weight and provide better access to the goods inside your pockets. Lightweight and packable, you can mush it down and stash it away in your Columbia Treadlite Pack when the sun hits overhead during lunch break at the lodge.
The jacket also offers stretch cuffs with a thumb hole, which are not only comfortable but helps to protect your hands from winters cold grasp. It’s a clever addition by Columbia’s design team and one that our field team appreciated when the temperature dropped like a meteor.
Room for Improvement…
Okay so we admit to not falling in love with the Compass Blue (closer to teal) version of this jacket – but for those who want their winter gear a little more understated Columbia has five other color options ranging from the deep fire of “Intense Red” to the charcoal tones of “Abyss”. The only other critique of note was the slender cut of the jacket. While our medium sized crew member appreciated the athletic fit of the jacket, some of our more snowmen-esque shaped friends may find the sizing a little problematic.
The Bottom Line…
You like warm? Columbia takes you’re ‘warm’ and increases it by 20% to stoke your inner fire during cold weather pursuits. Flexible and tough yet slender and stylish, Columbia has stuffed a boat load of technology into a low-bulk package that will help you stay out that extra hour teaching your young padawon warrior how to craft the perfect snowball.