Dirt

Founded in 1998 by Dave Watson, an early pioneer of Vancouver’s North Shore gravity-fuelled freeride movement, Sombrio designs and manufactures high performance apparel, outerwear and streetwear. Featured in the current range are products aimed at men, women and groms, including jerseys, gloves, shorts, socks, pants, armwarmers and jackets, plus life, freeride, gravity and ‘epik’ collections.

Three different types of shoes were also released for the first time in 2013 – the low-top Float, and two mid-top models, the Loam and the Shazam. The top-of-the-line Shazam has an upper built out of a durable combination of waxed canvas and suede, and a gusseted and reinforced self-centering tongue, all coming in a garish ‘electrocuted lemon’ colour scheme.

Apart from Sombrio main man Watson himself, who became famous for jumping the Tour de France peloton on his bike, other leading mountain bikers to use Sombrio clothing include freeride legend and Monster Park, Crankworx Whistler and Adidas Slopestyle champion Darren Berrecloth. Also on the team are riders such as Lindsay Voreis, Anka Martin, Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson.

After a period of financial uncertainty, it was announced in January 2014 that Sugoi Performance Apparel, a brand of Dorel Industries and a leading manufacturer and distributor of cycling, run and triathlon apparel and outdoor gear, had acquired Sombrio for an undisclosed purchase price. Dorel’s roster of mountain bike brands already included Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, Caloi and IronHorse.