Peak Ski Co. collapses amid lawsuits, missed paychecks, and broken promises

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Just three years after launching with industry buzz and a bold vision to revolutionize ski manufacturing, Peak Ski Co. — founded by Olympic legend Bode Miller and resort executive Andy Wirth — has shuttered operations, leaving athletes, contractors, and investors in the lurch.

Skiing icons Chris Davenport and Michelle Parker, who joined the Montana-based company in 2022, say they were never fully paid and are now considering legal action for breach of contract. “It was too good to be true,” Parker told the Colorado Sun. She left longtime sponsor Black Crows for Peak. “They paid maybe a quarter of the three-year deal.”

The Bozeman headquarters is closed, employees have been laid off, the website is offline, and more than 2,000 skis remain unpaid-for at a factory in Slovenia, according to the Sun’s report. Despite raising $1.2 million from nearly 600 investors in a 2024 crowdfunding campaign, Peak appears to have defaulted on several financial obligations, including vendor fees and promotional partnerships.

Miller told The Colorado Sun that operational costs and unmet investor commitments forced the shutdown, but claimed there’s still a long-term vision to license new ski production technology.

Industry observers aren’t buying it. “You don’t sign some of the heroes of our sport and then steal from them,” said Blister Review’s Jonathan Ellsworth, who called the company’s behavior “indefensible.”

Peak launched with ambitious claims: a patented “keyhole” ski design, direct-to-consumer sales, and futuristic automated manufacturing. But deepening debt, last-ditch giveaways like “buy one, get one free” skis, and a trail of unpaid partners marked a sharp fall from grace.

Miller said he’s trying to sell remaining skis to settle debts and keep the dream alive.

“I apologize for the situation if it has frustrated people, it has frustrated myself and the great people we have had working at Peak as well,” he said. “I believe in our plan and hope to see it to completion.”