Pajar: winter boots from Montréal – new at SportFits

Canadian winters are long, cold and wet. In Montréal, the pavements are covered in snow for months, with slush and road salt in between. Pajar has been making boots for exactly these conditions for more than 60 years. The brand now also makes jackets, sneakers and accessories; at SportFits we focus on the winter boots.

Pajar is now available at SportFits: winter boots for women and men, from lace-up boots with platform soles to leather boots for the office. Here you can find out where the brand comes from, what goes into the boots and which model is meant for what.

All Pajar products in the shop →

Paul Golbert was born in Paris in 1926 into a family of shoemakers and learned the trade there. In 1963 he founded Pajar in Montréal; the name stands for PAul, JAcques and Rachel. In 1967, the year of the World’s Fair, he opened his first showroom downtown, followed in 1973 by his own factory in the Plateau district. In 1989 Pajar became the outfitter of the Canadian alpine ski team. Pajar is still family-owned today, with the founder’s grandson Michel Golbert as president.

Selected collections are still made at the factory in the Plateau, such as the Pajar Montréal | 1963 line. Not every model is produced there: at Pajar, “from Montréal” mainly refers to the brand’s origin and development. Where a boot is made is stated on the label.

All Pajar boots we carry are waterproof, many with the brand’s own PAJAR-TEX membrane. They stay dry up to the height of the shaft: if you often walk through deep snow, choose a high model. On many boots the insole is removable, so it can dry overnight.

For icy pavements, Pajar developed the Ice Gripper sole. You fold its cleats out when it gets slippery and back in when you are indoors. You will find it on the Harrow, the Harmony and the Halentina, among others.

Pajar also gives each model a comfort rating: −30 °C for all women’s boots, −20 or −30 °C for the men’s. Take the value as a guide within the collection, because how warm your feet stay also depends on your socks and how much you move. To deal with road salt, wipe the boots down with clean water in the evening.

The Galaxy collection includes four boots. The Galaxyy has laces with logo webbing and a 16.5 cm shaft made of nylon and vegan nubuck. The Galaxyy Lama is covered in fluffy sherpa on the outside and sits on a 5 cm platform. The Galaxy High is the high version for deep snow, while the Galaxy Shearling combines suede with vegan nubuck.

The Catana, made of suede and nubuck leather with a lugged platform sole, has a more classic look. The Halo combines nylon and leather and has the Ice Gripper sole.

The Maddox in full-grain leather has laces and a zip, the Ice Gripper sole and a comfort rating down to −30 °C. Thanks to the zip, you can slip in quickly without re-lacing. With a 3.8 cm heel and a 2.5 cm platform, it sits a little higher than a normal lace-up shoe. The Nordura, a low-cut sneaker boot made of nylon, nubuck and suede for the commute, is also rated to −30 °C.

Lighter are the Yargen, the Yarek and the Yutte with Phylon soles, all three rated to −20 °C. The Yargen is made of vintage leather with suede trim, the Yarek of nubuck with a rubber mudguard and the Yutte of cow suede with mountain-boot-style lace hooks. They suit days that are wet rather than bitterly cold.

Pajar suits you if you are looking for a waterproof winter boot for the city that can handle snow, slush and road salt and still looks good. For mountain hikes or long distances off-road, the boots lack ankle support and a stiff sole, so a hiking boot is the better choice. Try the boots on with the socks you wear in winter.