Ambler Fireside Chukka

Sorel began in 1962 at a rubber factory in Kitchener, Ontario, with a simple brief: keep feet warm and dry through a Canadian winter. The result was the Caribou, a leather upper on a rubber shell with a removable felt liner, and its design has hardly changed in sixty years.

It’s a boot with a record to back it up. In 1968, Ralph Plaisted’s expedition became the first confirmed team to reach the North Pole overland, crossing about 500 miles in 43 days in Caribous. The range has grown since, with more shapes and colours, but the construction is still the point: rubber that keeps water out, a liner you can pull out to dry, and a sturdy sole.

In Canmore, where a January morning starts well below zero and the sidewalk is a negotiation, they earn their place. They’re built to wear for seasons, and they started in Ontario.