Omni-Heat™ Arctic

Columbia's warmest technology yet — and it works differently from anything that came before it. While Omni-Heat™ Infinity reflects your body heat back toward you, Omni-Heat™ Arctic goes further: it actively attracts and captures solar energy, drawing warmth from the environment itself and holding it close to the body. The result is a jacket that gains heat in extreme cold conditions rather than simply slowing heat loss. For UAE residents who travel to genuinely frigid destinations — Alpine ski resorts, Iceland, the Norwegian fjords, high-altitude mountain routes — this is the level of insulation those conditions demand.

Inspired by Arctic Wildlife — Biomimicry in Practice

The science behind Omni-Heat™ Arctic starts with polar bears. A polar bear's fur is translucent, not white — each hollow fibre channels solar energy down toward the bear's black skin, which absorbs and retains that heat with remarkable efficiency even in sub-zero temperatures. Columbia's engineers studied this system and developed a biomimetic fabric construction that replicates it. A pattern of small black dots on the interior lining draws solar UV rays through the outer layers of the jacket to the innermost surface closest to the skin, where that captured heat is stored and retained. In laboratory testing at zero degrees Fahrenheit with sunlight exposure, a standard black jacket lost heat — a Columbia Omni-Heat™ Arctic jacket gained it. That is not a marginal improvement. It is a fundamentally different approach to staying warm in extreme cold.

Arctic Jacket vs Standard Insulated Jacket — The Real Difference

Most insulated jackets — including excellent ones — work passively: they trap existing heat and slow its escape through loft, fill power, or reflective lining. Omni-Heat™ Arctic adds an active dimension. In addition to the insulation already present in the jacket, the solar-capture lining continuously pulls in heat from available light and stores it at the layer closest to the body. In bright winter conditions — on a ski slope, a glacier approach, or an open mountain ridge — this means the jacket is thermally self-reinforcing: the colder the environment, the more actively the technology works to compensate. Named "Best for Frigid Temps" by Outside Magazine's 2025 Winter Gear Guide, the Arctic Crest series represents the most capable cold-weather jacket Columbia has produced.

Columbia Arctic Crest Down Hooded Jacket

The Arctic Crest Down Hooded Jacket is the flagship piece in the Omni-Heat™ Arctic collection — a down-insulated puffer with the solar-capture lining running through the interior. Premium down fill delivers the warmth-to-weight ratio that serious cold-weather travellers depend on, while the Omni-Heat™ Arctic lining actively supplements that insulation with captured solar energy. An Omni-Shield™ water-repellent outer fabric handles light precipitation and wind. Zippered hand and chest pockets, an adjustable drawcord hem, and a hood designed to seal against cold air complete a jacket that is as practical as it is technically advanced. For UAE residents heading to genuinely extreme cold — ski destinations above 2,000 metres, winter travel in Scandinavia or Central Asia, high-altitude outdoor pursuits — the Arctic Crest Down is the jacket to pack.

Arctic Crest Sherpa Fleece — Solar Warmth in a Fleece Format

Omni-Heat™ Arctic isn't limited to down puffers. The Arctic Crest Sherpa Full Zip Fleece brings the same solar-capture insulation technology into a plush fleece format — a more versatile piece that works as a standalone jacket in moderate cold or as a mid-layer beneath a shell in severe conditions. The fleece-lined hood and collar add extra warmth around the neck and face, while zippered pockets and a drawcord hem extend the functionality. As a layering piece under a waterproof shell on a ski trip or a standalone jacket for cold city days in Europe, the Arctic Crest Sherpa handles more temperature range than a standard fleece without adding meaningful weight or bulk.

Omni-Heat™ Arctic Coats for Women

Columbia's women's Omni-Heat™ Arctic coats bring the same solar-capture insulation technology into longer, shaped silhouettes that suit cold-weather dressing beyond the slope. The Arctic Crest Down Hooded Jacket in women's cut combines premium down insulation with the biomimetic black-dot lining in a fit shaped for women, with proportions that work whether you're hiking in deep snow or walking through a winter city in Europe. These are arctic winter coats that perform at genuine extremes — not just cold-weather fashion pieces, but properly engineered garments tested in field conditions that most outerwear never encounters.

How Omni-Heat™ Arctic Fits Into Columbia's Warmth System

Columbia's Omni-Heat™ family now spans multiple technologies, each suited to a different level of cold. Omni-Heat™ Thermal Reflective is the original — silver dots for moderate cold and everyday winter wear. Omni-Heat™ Infinity advances that with gold dots covering more surface area, doubling the reflective coverage for serious winter conditions. Omni-Heat™ Helix adds foam pads to fleece constructions for retained warmth without insulation fill. Omni-Heat™ Arctic sits at the top — solar-capture technology for extreme cold environments where every degree of retained warmth counts. For UAE residents building a kit for a high-Alpine ski season, a Scandinavian winter trip, or any genuinely frigid outdoor destination, starting from the top of that system and layering down gives the most capable result.

Shop Columbia Omni-Heat™ Arctic in the UAE

Arctic jackets, down-insulated coats, and Sherpa fleeces built around solar-capture technology that works hardest when the cold is most extreme. Browse the full Columbia Omni-Heat™ Arctic collection and find the jacket that fits where you're going this winter.