Established in 2009 by Tim Shepherd, SnowShepherd originally specialised in avalanche safety equipment and airbags. At a time when avalanche airbags were still relatively unknown in the UK, we built our reputation by offering specialist products, knowledge and advice to skiers heading into the mountains.

But another part of the SnowShepherd story was already beginning.

While working in the French Alps, Brandon Shepherd became frustrated with ski gloves that simply couldn’t withstand the demands of skiing day after day. Expensive gloves would often struggle to last a full season, so Brandon started asking the people who relied on their gloves for a living — lift operators, ski guides, resort workers and locals — what they actually wore.

The answer led him to a garden shop in Bourg-Saint-Maurice and a pair of classic French leather work gloves.

They weren’t fashionable. They weren’t marketed as premium ski gloves. They just worked.

Warm, tough and capable of surviving season after season of abuse, they represented everything Brandon believed mountain equipment should be.

SnowShepherd started with just 24 pairs. They sold out within days.

We ordered more. They sold again.

What began as a small addition to the business ultimately changed the direction of SnowShepherd completely.

From 24 Pairs to the Professional Ski World

Over the years, we took the principles behind those original French gloves — durability, simplicity and reliability — and developed them into something of our own.

Today, SnowShepherd designs and manufactures a growing range of technical ski gloves, race gloves, mittens and mountain equipment engineered specifically for demanding alpine environments.

Our products use carefully selected materials, including high-grade leather, waterproof and breathable membranes, technical insulation and reinforced constructions designed to withstand serious use.

But the biggest evolution of SnowShepherd isn’t simply the number of products we now manufacture.

It’s who is using them.

SnowShepherd has grown from selling a handful of gloves to becoming a brand trusted within professional skiing.

We now work with some of the biggest names in the ski industry, including our partnership with Équipe de France, the French national team.

Our products are also being used by ski instructors, race teams, mountain professionals, ski patrol and resort staff, including staff working at some of the world’s leading ski destinations.

These are people who don’t wear ski equipment for a few days each winter.
They depend on it every day.

That is exactly where we want SnowShepherd products to be tested.

Trusted by the People Who Know

For us, there is no better endorsement than seeing SnowShepherd equipment being used by people whose lives and careers revolve around the mountains.

From elite athletes representing their country to instructors spending an entire winter on snow, our products are increasingly being chosen by people who demand reliability from their equipment.

It has helped SnowShepherd develop into one of the most trusted independent brands within the professional ski community.

And we’re only getting started.

More Than Gloves

Gloves remain at the heart of SnowShepherd, but our ambition goes much further.

Our Lotus technical outerwear collection, race products and expanding mountain range represent the next stage of the company.

We’re applying the same philosophy that built our glove business to everything we develop:
Make it properly. Test it properly. Make it last.

We don’t believe mountain equipment needs unnecessary gimmicks. We believe it needs exceptional materials, intelligent design and the ability to perform when conditions become difficult.

Whether we’re developing equipment for an international race team, a ski instructor working 100+ days each season, resort staff operating in extreme weather or someone heading into the mountains for their annual ski trip, the objective remains the same:

Create equipment people can depend on.

Built With Responsibility

As SnowShepherd grows, how our products are made remains incredibly important to us.

We continue to work towards more responsible manufacturing, including the use of solar power within our manufacturing operations, while supporting communities connected to our supply chain through initiatives including access to clean water and education in Pakistan.

Durability is also fundamental to our approach to sustainability.

We would rather make a product that performs season after season than one that needs replacing every year.

Buy better. Use it harder. Keep it longer.

Don’t Be A Sheep

There is another story behind SnowShepherd that means more to us than any product.

Growing up, Brandon’s mum, Kerry Shepherd, would often tell him:

“Don’t be a sheep. You’re a Shepherd.”

It was her way of telling him to think independently, lead rather than follow and never be afraid to do things differently.

Kerry passed away in 2018, but those words stayed with Brandon.

When SnowShepherd was rebranded, DON’T BE A SHEEP became much more than a company slogan. It became a tribute to Kerry and a philosophy for how we wanted to build the business.

Don’t follow the flock.

Don’t make something simply because everyone else is making it.

Don’t accept that something is good enough because that’s how it’s always been done.
Lead. Improve. Question. Build better.

Kerry was the real Shepherd, and that mentality continues to influence everything we do.

Where We’re Going

Our ambition is simple, even if achieving it isn’t:

We want SnowShepherd to become the best independent snow sports manufacturer in the world.
We’re building the company one product, one partnership and one season at a time.

From 24 pairs of gloves to supplying products used by national-level athletes and mountain professionals, it has already been an incredible journey.

But we still consider this the beginning.

Whether you’re racing down a mountain, teaching on it, patrolling it, working on it, climbing it or simply spending every possible day enjoying it, we want to build equipment worthy of being there with you.

Thank you to every customer, athlete, instructor, patroller, resort, retailer and partner who has trusted SnowShepherd along the way.

See you in the mountains.

The SnowShepherd Team

Don’t Be A Sheep.

W: SnowShepherd