Climbing skins might be a hidden and seemingly unremarkable piece of ski touring equipment, nevertheless they are essential to the sport. Without skins, it’s virtually impossible to make progress uphill on skis. Back in 1931, Louis Dufour, the founder of POMOCA, was particularly interested in creating a connection and traction between skis and the snow and was working to design and improve it. The Dufour family who lived in Les Avants, in the middle of the Swiss Alps, were committed to improving access to the sport of skiing. Thanks to their motivation, curiosity and technical expertise, the first slip-resistant and self-adhesive skins were made of natural mohair fibres. The company with its headquarters in Denges, near Lausanne in the Swiss canton of Waadt, is the product of decades of investment and innovation to this day.

Since 2011, the POMOCA brand belongs to the Oberalp Group. The take-over by the group that also owns touring ski manufacturer DYNAFIT was a logical strategic expansion of its ski touring product portfolio. Looking back, Heiner Oberrauch, owner of the Oberalp Group says: “Ski touring was a niche sport. Due to our own personal passion for ski touring tours, we saw big potential. Ten years ago, ski touring was already a growth market and we decided to invest in the segment.” Today, ten years after the takeover, POMOCA is the leading international producer of climbing skins. The Swiss manufacturer’s products stand for highest performance – something which is clearly reflected in their widespread adoption by professional athletes. At the Ski Mountaineering World Championships in March 2019, two thirds of all podium finishes were achieved by athletes using POMOCA skins on the ascents.

The Swiss ski climbing skins come in three categories that cover all ski touring disciplines and in all sizes to fit all touring skis on the market. “POMOCA plays an important role in underlining the credibility of our technical products. The brand stands for the highest levels of professional expertise and I am proud that this company is part of the Oberalp Group,” continues Heiner Oberrauch. “For me personally, developing POMOCA is something that is very dear to me, as ski touring is my passion and the experienced team has accomplished major achievements.” 

“We’re proud to belong to the Oberalp Group house of brands and benefit from this partnership,” says Josep Castellet, General Manager POMOCA. “We make all of our skins by hand in Switzerland. Each individual skin can be traced, using our tool Track your Skin, which means customers can use a product code online to see where their skins come from and how they were made by our family team. We are particularly proud of a recently achieved goal: Since this winter, we are the first manufacturer on the market to manufacture all our skins entirely free from PFCs.”

For more information about sustainability at POMOCA, visit:
pomoca.com/en/commitment