I think we’d really struggle to enjoy the snow and cold weather without our Sorels. When you spend a full day standing on a frozen trail or icy carpark, you need some serious footware if you want to keep warm. Originally introduced in 1959 by Ontario-based Kaufman Rubber Co. they became the world’s best-selling cold weather boot. Unfortunately in 2000, Kaufman Footwear went bankrupt, and the Sorel trademark was bought by Columbia Sportswear. Helen has an original pair of Canadian Sorel Caribou, and Guy has a pair of the new ‘designed in canada’ Sorel Caribou. The new boots are just as good as the old boots.

Over the year’s we’ve tried winter walking boots, winter wellies and apres ski boots. None of them come close to the comfort and warmth we’ve found with our Sorels. They’re not cheap, but cold feet make you really unhappy so it’s worth buying boots that actually work. I always wear mine if we take the dogs out on the sled. When racing in snow, your boots get covered in snow, especially when it gets deep, making normal winter footware fail. Whilst all you can see are snowy feet, the Sorel Caribous keep my feet toasty warm. It’s not nice standing on the back of a sled with feet stinging though frosty cold snow.

They even look good at night, most people think they look really smart and you get away wearing them down the pub. The Caribou type are what you typically see mushers wearing but Sorel have released a really fab range of more design led boots with quite funky variations.