Colmar vs Fusalp vs Bogner vs Perfect Moment: 4 Ski Houses

Colmar vs Fusalp vs Bogner vs Perfect Moment is a choice between four luxury ski houses with very different roots: Colmar, the Italian ski house from Monza, founded in 1923, Bogner from Munich in 1932, Fusalp from Annecy in 1952 and Perfect Moment from Chamonix in 1984. Colmar’s distinct point is the water column and warmth level it publishes for its women’s designer ski jackets and trousers, on pieces such as the Shaped Ski Jacket with Faux Fur in Black.

The short version: choose Colmar if you want the numbers on the label and an Italian racing line that runs back to Zeno Colò’s Olympic gold in 1952. Choose Fusalp for the fuseau and close-fitting suits, Bogner for the stretch ski trouser and its German Olympic history, and Perfect Moment for the Polar Flare jacket and the Aurora flare pant.

All four are serious skiwear houses, and none of them is a wrong answer. What separates them is history, silhouette and how each one talks about its kit. This guide takes them one at a time, sets them side by side in a single table, then matches each house to a kind of skier. We keep to what each house is on record for, and we say so where we cannot compare like with like.

Colmar: Monza, 1923, and the numbers on the label

Colmar is the oldest of the four. Mario Colombo founded the company in Monza, near Milan, in 1923, in the Brianza textile district. The name joins the first letters of his surname and first name, COLombo MARio. The business is still Manifattura Mario Colombo & C. S.p.A. It did not begin with skiing at all: the first products were felt hats and gaiters, then workwear.

The turn to the mountains came after the Second World War, when his sons Giancarlo and Angelo Colombo moved the company into sportswear and skiing. From the late 1940s Colmar worked with FISI, the Italian winter sports federation. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, the Tuscan racer Zeno Colò, from Abetone, won gold wearing Colmar, in a close-fitting, aerodynamic technical jacket introduced for that occasion. The racing link continues in the current women’s line, which includes Austrian National Team and Slovenian National Team pieces.

What makes Colmar easy to buy from a distance is the label. Each technical piece on Colmar’s product pages carries a waterproof rating of 10,000, 15,000 and up to 20,000 mm water column, a matching breathability rating of 10K to 20K, and a warmth level from Light to Very Warm. The Shaped Ski Jacket with Faux Fur in Black is rated 20,000 mm and 20K, Warm, with 140 g Repreve wadding and a graphene lining, at $1,290 at Coveti. The Connected 3L Ski Shell Jacket in Disco Pink is also 20,000 mm, rated Light, with a RECCO reflector, at $1,060 at Coveti. Our full walk through the line is in Who Is Colmar?, and the ratings themselves are unpacked in ski jacket waterproof ratings explained.

Fusalp: Annecy tailoring and the fuseau

Fusalp was founded in Annecy in 1952 by two tailors, Georges Ribola and Rene Veyrat. That is the same year Colò won in Oslo, which makes the two houses close contemporaries in the story of modern skiwear, though from different starting points. Colmar came to skiing from hats and workwear. Fusalp came from tailoring.

The house is known for the fuseau, the stretch ski trouser, and for close-fitting ski suits. The Lacoste family has owned it since 2014. If your idea of ski dressing starts with a narrow, tailored line from waist to boot, Fusalp is the house built around that idea. Our Fusalp brand page carries the current range, and the house history is in Fusalp history from Annecy, 1952.

Bogner: Munich and the stretch ski trouser

Bogner is the second oldest of the four. Willy Bogner founded the Munich ski and sportswear house in 1932. In 1948 Maria Bogner introduced the stretch ski trouser, and the house has dressed German Olympic skiers since 1936.

That Olympic thread is the closest parallel to Colmar’s own racing story. Both houses have spent decades kitting out national skiers, Bogner for Germany and Colmar for Italian skiers through FISI and, today, with Austrian and Slovenian team pieces. Fusalp and Bogner also share a link of their own, since both histories centre on the stretch ski trouser. Our Fusalp vs Bogner guide covers that pairing in depth, and Who is Bogner? has the full story. The current range sits on our Bogner brand page.

Perfect Moment: Chamonix, 1984

Perfect Moment is the youngest of the four, and the only one founded by a filmmaker. The skier and filmmaker Thierry Donard started the label in Chamonix in 1984. Jane and Max Gottschalk took ownership in 2010.

The house is known for two pieces above all: the Polar Flare jacket and the Aurora flare ski pant. Where Fusalp and Bogner built their names on the narrow stretch trouser, Perfect Moment is associated with the flare, a different silhouette for a different kind of look on the mountain. Read more in our Perfect Moment ski brand profile, and browse the range on the Perfect Moment brand page.

The four houses side by side

A note on fairness. The table records what each house is on record for, not a score. We have not compared waterproof figures across the four, because we hold published ratings for Colmar only, and a comparison with one side missing would not be honest.

Where the four really differ

Start with heritage, since it shapes how each house cuts its clothes. Colmar and Bogner are both racing houses at heart, with long Olympic records. Fusalp is a tailoring house that took its craft onto the slopes. Perfect Moment was started in Chamonix by a skier and filmmaker, a generation later than the others.

Then silhouette. The stretch trouser is central to both Fusalp and Bogner. Perfect Moment is known for the flare. Colmar’s women’s line runs across several shapes: slim softshell trousers and leggings, padded trousers, salopettes, one-piece suits and a racing suit. The Dressy Softshell Ski Trousers in Black are a Regular fit at $520 at Coveti, the Shape Softshell Ski Salopettes in Black are a Slim fit at $690 at Coveti, and the Glam Padded Ski Trousers in Black are rated 20,000 mm with a RECCO reflector at $660 at Coveti. The trouser story in full is in Colmar ski trousers and salopettes.

Finally, the label. Colmar publishes a warmth level on every piece we carry, and a water column and breathability figure on its rated shells and padded pieces. For a skier comparing jackets online, that turns a judgement call into a reading exercise. We make no claim here about how the other three houses label theirs.

Which to choose

The skier who reads the spec sheet. Colmar is the natural fit. You can pick a 20,000 mm jacket for wet Alpine snow and a Very Warm down jacket for a cold January week, and know before it arrives what Colmar says it is built for. The Puffy Padded Ski Jacket in White is rated 15,000 mm and Very Warm, filled with down, at $1,060 at Coveti.

The skier who wants race heritage on the back. Colmar and Bogner both answer this, from different countries. Colmar’s Slovenian National Team Ski Jacket in Black is 15,000 mm, Warm, with 150 g Repreve wadding, at $1,110 at Coveti, and the Austrian Team Women’s Racing Suit in Red is $870 at Coveti. That suit is a race suit in a Slim fit, cut for gates, not for a long lunch on the terrace. Bogner’s German Olympic history since 1936 is its own case.

The skier who dresses from the trouser up. If the line from waist to boot is what you care about, Fusalp and Bogner are the two houses whose stories begin with the stretch ski trouser. Colmar’s slim softshell pieces are a strong alternative here, and the Softshell Ski Leggings in Black, rated 10,000 mm and Medium, are $450 at Coveti.

The skier who wants a one-piece. Fusalp is known for close-fitting ski suits. Colmar also makes them: the Desire Padded Ski Suit in Black is rated 20,000 mm and Warm, with a graphene lining, at $1,410 at Coveti. Our guide to Colmar ski suits compares every suit in the line.

The skier who wants a flare and a statement. Perfect Moment’s Polar Flare jacket and Aurora flare pant are the pieces the house is known for, and if a flared leg is the look you want, start there.

Many skiers mix houses, and that works well. A Colmar base layer such as the Thermal Seamless Dryarn Ski Top in Eclipse Grey, $320 at Coveti, goes under any shell. Our wider ranking of the field is in the best luxury ski brands.

Sizing across the four

Colmar sizes its women’s jackets, trousers and suits in Italian sizes, which Coveti lists on the UK ladder: IT 38 is UK 6 and IT 50 is UK 18, so IT 42 is UK 10. Colmar matches IT 42 to US 6, FR and ES 38 and DE 36. Its fleeces and base layers use letter sizes. The Colmar size guide has the full body chart. For the other three houses, check the size details on each product page, since cuts and size systems differ from house to house.

Luxury ski houses around the world

US skiers in the Rockies meet dry, cold snow, and the warmth level often matters more than the water column. A Very Warm Colmar jacket over a light base layer suits a Colorado January. In wetter New England conditions a higher water column earns its keep.

UK skiers mostly head to the Alps, where conditions in a single week can run from deep cold to spring slush. That makes a flexible system worth more than one heavy coat. For packing, see our ski trip packing list.

EU buyers sit closest to the home ground of all four houses, in the Italian, French, German and Austrian Alps. For Colmar, IT 42 equals FR 38 and DE 36, which helps if you usually shop in French and German sizes.

GCC buyers often start at Ski Dubai and then travel to the Alps, Japan and the Rockies. A Colmar piece with a published warmth level makes it easier to plan for both an indoor slope and a real mountain from a single wardrobe. Coveti is London-based, ships worldwide, sells only 100% authentic pieces and shows every price in US dollars.

For the full Colmar range in one place, visit our Colmar women’s skiwear page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Colmar better than Fusalp?

Neither is better outright; they are built on different ideas. Colmar, founded in Monza in 1923, has an Italian racing history and publishes a water column and warmth level for its technical pieces. Fusalp, founded in Annecy in 1952 by two tailors, is known for the fuseau stretch trouser and close-fitting suits. Choose by the silhouette and information you value.

Is Colmar older than Bogner?

Colmar is older. Mario Colombo founded it in Monza in 1923, first making felt hats and gaiters before workwear and then skiwear. Willy Bogner founded his Munich house in 1932. Of the four houses in this guide, Fusalp followed in 1952 and Perfect Moment in 1984, which makes Colmar the oldest of the group by nine years.

Do Colmar and Bogner both have Olympic history?

Yes. Zeno Colò won gold at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo wearing Colmar, in a close-fitting technical jacket introduced for the occasion, and Colmar worked with FISI from the late 1940s. Bogner has dressed German Olympic skiers since 1936. Both houses treat racing as part of their identity, from different national teams.

Which house is known for flared ski trousers?

Perfect Moment is the house in this group known for the flare, through its Aurora flare ski pant and Polar Flare jacket. Fusalp and Bogner are both associated with the narrow stretch ski trouser. Colmar’s women’s line at Coveti covers slim softshell trousers, leggings, padded trousers, salopettes and one-piece suits rather than a signature flare.

Why does Colmar publish waterproof ratings?

Colmar lists a waterproof rating, a breathability rating and a warmth level on its product pages so a buyer can compare pieces by figure. Its rated pieces run from 10,000 mm, which Colmar calls suitable for heavy rain, up to 20,000 mm water column. Our waterproof ratings guide explains what those numbers mean on the mountain.

Where should I start with Colmar at Coveti?

Start with how you ski. Racers and race fans can begin with the Austrian and Slovenian national team jackets. Skiers who want warmth first can look at the Very Warm down jackets, and anyone building a system can start with a Light base layer and a Warm fleece. Every Colmar price at Coveti is shown in US dollars.