Kombi CANADA

Brand overview and significance

Kombi is a Canadian winter accessories brand founded in Montreal in 1961, built around a simple mission: keep people warm from head to toe in real winter, not just catalog conditions. Still family-owned on the Canadian side, Kombi is best known for its carefully crafted gloves and mitts, then expanded that warmth expertise into base layers, socks, hats, and other cold-weather essentials. Over six decades, the company has grown from a local Montreal operation into an international name stocked in ski shops, outdoor retailers, and family sports chains across Canada, the United States, and Europe.

The brand’s identity is tied closely to harsh North American winters. Kombi’s own storytelling leans heavily on long, cold Canadian seasons—sub-zero days, repeated snowstorms, damp coastal chills—and it designs products with those realities in mind. Its gloves, mitts, and underlayers are meant to work for parents on the sidelines of a race, kids on their first rope tow, patrollers and instructors on the hill all day, and park or street skiers filming late into a Québec night. The philosophy is pragmatic: warmth, durability, and value, rather than ultra-luxury price tags.

Within the skipowd.tv ecosystem, Kombi sits in the “infrastructure” layer of ski culture. It’s not a ski, boot, or outerwear brand, but you see the logo on the hands of riders in Québec street films, on coaches and groms at early-morning race training, and on families queueing for lifts. When a video credits “winter accessories from Kombi Canada,” it’s usually talking about gloves, mitts, and small pieces that quietly keep a long winter possible.

Product lines and key technologies

Kombi’s core product line is gloves and mitts for men, women, and kids, organized by activity and warmth level. There are insulated alpine ski gloves, freeride-oriented leather models, race and performance styles with more precise fits, everyday city gloves, lightweight liners, and serious expedition-level mitts for very cold climates. Alongside handwear, the brand offers technical base layers, midlayers, socks, balaclavas, hats, neck tubes, and even ski goggles, but the gloves and mitts remain the anchor of the catalog.

On the technical side, Kombi uses a mix of proprietary and branded materials. Many mid- to high-end models integrate GORE-TEX membranes for waterproof, windproof, and breathable performance, while others use GORE-TEX INFINIUM for fully windproof but more breathable, highly water-resistant gloves aimed at active use like touring or everyday wear. Synthetic insulations such as ULTRALOFT microfibre, PrimaLoft, and Thermolite appear across the range, tuned for different warmth targets. Retail listings highlight details like 20,000 mm waterproofing and 7,000 g/m² breathability on certain models, putting them squarely in the technical outerwear category rather than basic fashion accessories.

Construction details vary by segment. Resort-focused gloves often combine durable nylon shells with leather or synthetic leather palms, long gauntlets, and adjustable wrist straps. Freeride and “mountain utility” styles lean more heavily on full leather shells and reinforced palms. Some models add touchscreen-compatible fingertips, zip pockets on the back of the hand for heat packs or RFID cards, and removable liners to help manage moisture on big days. For kids, design is simplified—easy-entry cuffs, bold colors, and names that make it clear what level of warmth parents are buying.

Base layers and socks carry over the same design philosophy: synthetic or merino-blend fabrics that dry quickly, flatlock seams, and a warmth-to-weight balance tuned for skiing and general winter use. While these categories are newer than the glove line, they extend Kombi’s position from “the glove brand” to a broader cold-weather outfitter for families and everyday skiers.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Because Kombi builds gloves and apparel, the “ride feel” shows up in how your hands and core experience a day on snow. In practice, Kombi is for riders who want reliable warmth and solid construction more than ultra-minimal race weight or hyper-specialized tech. Think resort skiers stacking full days in January, parents who spend as much time standing in lift lines with kids as skiing themselves, or street crews in Québec shoveling spots and filming at night.

The brand uses a clear warmth-rating system to help skiers choose the right level for their climate and circulation. At the higher end of the warmth scale, you get fully insulated mitts and gloves that can handle deep-freeze days in interior Canada or cold, windy chairlifts in exposed European resorts. Mid-range models are balanced for typical resort conditions—minus single digits into slightly above freezing, with enough insulation for comfort and enough dexterity to operate buckles, zippers, and smartphones. Lighter gloves and liners are aimed at high-output touring, Nordic skiing, or layering under heavier shells.

For a typical skipowd.tv viewer, the right Kombi piece might be an insulated glove for lift days, a lighter windproof glove for ski-touring or splitboard approaches, and a thick mitt reserved for storm chasing or freezing park nights. The brand isn’t chasing the absolute lightest touring glove or the most race-specific shell; instead it sits in the sweet spot where most real-world riding happens, especially for people who ski a lot but also live real lives around work, study, and family.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Kombi doesn’t run a headline international race team the way some boot or outerwear giants do, but it is deeply embedded in Canadian winter sports culture. The brand is widely used by local race clubs, ski schools, and patrollers, especially in Québec and Ontario, and appears frequently in partner lists around junior events and regional freeride or park projects. Its gear shows up on the hands of street skiers in Québec-based films and edits that emphasize rugged, repeatable gear for long nights in industrial zones and city stair sets.

Within the industry, Kombi has a reputation as a solid, accessible brand: products that meet technical standards (GORE-TEX, robust synthetic insulations, well-built patterns) at price points that work for families and working skiers. Big national retailers highlight the brand as a go-to for Canadian winters, and independent shops often stock Kombi alongside more niche European glove specialists, positioning it as the “local” option for serious cold.

Among riders, the feedback loop is simple. Kombi is rarely the flashiest logo in the lift line, but it’s the one many people return to after experimenting with more exotic gear. For race parents, instructors, and park rats alike, the key reputation points are warmth that matches the label, stitching that holds up to seasons of use, and models that make sense for kids, not just adults.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

The Kombi story starts in Montreal, a city known for long, snowy winters and easy access to Laurentian and Eastern Townships ski areas. Designing gloves for that climate means thinking about everything from icy wind and humid storms to slushy late-season days. Over time, Kombi’s reach expanded across Canada and into the northern United States and Europe; there is even a Vermont-based Kombi Snow arm serving the U.S. market, reflecting how closely tied the brand is to the wider North American winter-sports belt.

In practical terms, Kombi’s natural test environments are places where winter doesn’t let up: Québec City’s urban street spots, family hills around Montréal, bigger ski resorts in the Laurentians, and cold, dry interior regions where temperatures drop well below freezing for weeks. Those are exactly the sorts of conditions where skipowd.tv films plenty of rail and park edits, and where riders quickly figure out whether their gloves actually keep up with their season.

Internationally, Kombi products appear in European outdoor retailers and online shops that cater to Alps-bound skiers, especially for those looking for reliable handwear rather than ultra-luxury leather. The result is a brand that still feels very Canadian in identity, but whose actual user base spans any region with serious winter.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Kombi’s construction details vary by model, but a few principles repeat. Outer shells mix robust nylon or polyester fabrics with leather or high-quality synthetic leather on the palms and fingers for grip and durability. Many gloves add extra overlays in high-wear zones, articulated fingers for easier pole grip, and pre-curved shapes that reduce break-in time. Waterproofing and wind protection come from membranes like GORE-TEX and GORE-TEX INFINIUM or from in-house waterproof inserts, backed by hydrophobic shell treatments to help shed snow and slush.

Inside, a combination of synthetic insulations (ULTRALOFT microfibre, PrimaLoft, Thermolite and others) and soft linings aim to trap warmth while wicking moisture away from the skin. Some models use fully removable liners, making it easier to dry gloves between days and adjust warmth in a modular system. Higher-spec styles emphasize both warmth and breathability, so hands stay comfortable instead of cycling repeatedly between sweaty and cold.

Like many technically focused brands, Kombi manufactures most products in Asia while keeping design and brand direction in Canada. On the sustainability front, individual models increasingly incorporate recycled materials: recycled polyester linings and fills, shell fabrics made from repurposed fibers, and dye processes that reduce water and energy use. While Kombi doesn’t market itself as a pure eco-brand, the trend within its range is toward more recycled content and longer-lasting gloves that reduce the need for frequent replacement—arguably one of the most meaningful sustainability levers in hard-wearing winter gear.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing the right Kombi glove or mitt starts with three key questions: how cold your typical days are, how active you’ll be, and how much dexterity you need. If you ski in consistently cold climates—think interior Canada, northern Scandinavia, or high-altitude resorts—and spend lots of time on lifts, look for Kombi’s warmest ratings and consider mitts rather than gloves. Mitts trap more heat by letting fingers share warmth, and Kombi’s high-warmth models are built precisely for days when a regular glove isn’t enough.

For everyday resort skiing in more moderate temperatures, mid-range insulated gloves are usually ideal. You’ll want waterproof or GORE-TEX-equipped models with a warmth rating matched to your circulation: “average” hands in typical Alpine or Rockies conditions can often run a step lower on the warmth scale than very cold-prone fingers. Pay attention to cuff style—short cuffs are easier with tight-fitting jacket sleeves, while long gauntlets are better if you ride in deep snow or want extra overlap for storm days.

Touring, sidecountry, and high-output skiers should look for lighter, more breathable gloves or shell-style models with removable liners. Pair a thin, dextrous liner with a windproof shell for climbs, then add a thicker mitt or overglove for long, cold descents or sled laps. Kombi’s windproof GORE-TEX INFINIUM gloves, for example, are well suited to approaches, transitions, and everyday winter use where full waterproofing is less critical than breathability and wind protection.

Finally, don’t overlook kids’ and youth models. Kombi’s long history of making children’s gloves shows in details like easy-entry cuffs, clear warmth labels, and constructions that balance insulation with enough dexterity for kids to grip poles and adjust helmets. For families, outfitting everyone from the same brand can simplify packing and make it easier to track which warmth level works for which child over multiple seasons.

Why riders care

Riders care about Kombi because it feels like a brand built from real winter outward. The combination of Canadian heritage, decades of experience with cold-weather accessories, and a clear focus on functional warmth makes its gear a dependable choice when “good enough” isn’t actually enough. In videos and in the parking lot, you see Kombi gear on the hands of people who spend entire days outside: coaches, park crews, street skiers, parents, and kids who stay out until last lift.

For the skipowd.tv community, Kombi represents the quiet backbone of a season. It’s the glove you grab for a storm day in Québec, the mitt your kid wears all winter without complaining about cold fingers, and the liner that lives in your pack on every tour. The brand doesn’t try to be the most exclusive or the most futuristic; instead, it occupies a practical, trustworthy middle ground where value, durability, and warmth align. In a sport where so much depends on comfort in harsh conditions, that kind of reliability is exactly why riders keep coming back to Kombi year after year.