Now you can look like Mr Bode Miller every day, not just on the ski slope.

It has never been easier to dress for the elements than it is right now. Thanks to innovations in fabrics (windproof cork fibres, anyone?), plus a glut of brands catering to those who favour alpine environments, the choice for clothes to take across the slopes and beyond is great and varied. Innovation is all well and good, of course, but for brands that want to stand head and shoulders above the competition, factors such as endurability and looks also come into play. For a brand that does all of that particularly well, look to Aztech Mountain.

Founded in 2013 by Messrs David Roth and Anthony Rutgers, who both grew up between New York and Aspen (of course they did), Aztech Mountain achieves the holy grail of design that many performance sportswear brands aim for but never quite reach: to make clothes that look as good off the slopes as they do on them. In some cases, they look even better.

This is unusual in part because the rules of fashion generally dictate that when something is engineered with practicality in mind, it is not supposed to be stylish. So, when clothing is intended to be worn for slaloming down a mountain rather than, say, slaloming your way through a night on the tiles, the qualities that make a garment visually appealing will usually be low on the priority list. With Aztech Mountain, it’s hard to tell where it draws the line on that priority, not because its collections put form over function, but because they span both worlds seamlessly. Here are a few reasons why.

Wearability and comfort may go without saying, but where Aztech Mountain excels is with fabric innovation. From water-repellent wool on sweaters and windproof cork fibres to insulated nylon panels and trousers with a stretchy membrane to keep movement as free and effortless as possible, these are clothes where the fabric takes centre stage. Of particular note is the brand’s appropriately named Nuke Suit, which is crafted from a four-way stretch shell called Dermizax, which allows for total flexibility, is hardwearing and resistant to water and condensation; it feels like it really could survive anything. Also see the brand’s Matterhorn striped wool sweater, in variegated stripes of beige, blue, red and grey – the soft wool is coated twice with Teflon to repel water and prevent pilling; a true all-rounder.

Great performance sportswear that keeps you warm, dry and comfortable when you’re out on the slopes is great, but the real return on investment in functional clothes depends on where else you can wear them. While we wouldn’t recommend wearing Aztech Mountain’s ski trousers out to dinner, there’s plenty from the brand that we absolutely would. Yes, wearing a shirt with a magnetic collar that converts into a turtleneck for extra warmth might feel a tad superfluous if you’re only going to the pub, but that kind of savvy design will be more than welcome on the brisk walk home. In the same vein, the Aspen Flake nylon-panelled hoodie combines the brand’s technical nous (lots of insulation) with the festive charm of a Fair Isle sweater. To keep clothes like these confined to the ski lifts would be a sartorial crime.

Aztech Mountain makes a promise that if one of its items of clothing “breaks, wears out, busts open”, just contact them and they’ll do their utmost to get it fixed. Accidents happen, of course, but take our word for it: these are not clothes that are built to fall apart. The brand’s technical outerwear is all crafted in Slovakia, and the ski jackets have seams that are sealed throughout to both keep out cold air and fortify against potential breakage. The brand’s Hayden ripstop-shell trousers have adjustable Velcro® waist straps (handy if you’ve enjoyed a little too much fondue since the last ski season) and have side zips so you can customise the airflow when you’re bombing it down the mountains.