Elephant Rally

When one of our longstanding customers, an ardent motorcyclist, approached us recently and asked if we could make him a special pair of boots for a bitterly cold mid-winter motorcycle rally in Germany's Bavarian Forest, we were delighted to accept the challenge.  The event, known as The Elephant Rally, is one of the better known rally's on the European calendar, having been run every winter since 1956 and attracting more than 5000 hardy motorcyclists to the snowy backcountry along the border of Germany and the Czech Republic.

It is not for the faint-hearted. Aside from the snowy weather and the famously cold temperatures, participants are required to carry all their own camping gear and spare clothing on their motorcycles - no support vehicles, no 'glamping', just what you can carry on the bike, following in the spirit of good old-fashioned rally adventure. Not only does one need to equip oneself for three rugged days of riding the backcountry and camping out in the cold each night, but also for the hundreds of miles of mid-winter riding it would take our client to get to the event. Warm sturdy boots were going to be essential.

With that in mind, we designed a pair of heavy sheepskin-lined thigh boots that would provide plenty of comfort and leg coverage for long cold winter rides. Sourcing the best leather to create these boots took some doing. We needed a leather that would be soft enough not to restrict movement yet tough enough to withstand the rigors of winter riding, and exposure to salt, slush and snow. Snow in particular, with its high nitrogen content, 'burns' most full grain leathers, so we needed to find something special. We searched far and find and found what we were looking for at the Degermann tannery in Alsace. It was a pricey, but a superb leather and totally fit for purpose.

The criteria for the sheepskin lining was equally challenging. It had to be robust yet comfortable. The tannery that supplies the sheepskins for our flying jackets came up with the goods. Once we had the materials, we set about the business of boot-making. This too presented special challenges. Hand crafting a pair of sheepskin-lined boots required different techniques and patterns than an all-leather boot. Allowances have to be made for the extra thickness and to allow for just the right amount of initial snugness so that the boot fits perfectlyafter the lining has been bedded in. Working a sheepskin-lined boot on the last also presents special challenges. Pulling the leather up to create a nice round toes has to be done in several takes. 

We finished the boot with an extra thick, flexible sole to provide insulation from the frozen ground, yet be comfortable enough for all-day wear and walking around the camp at night. Polished and packaged, we went them off and waited to hear back. Several days later we had an email with several photos from a snow-covered rally site in the Bavarian Forest. The verdict was excellent: warm, comfortable for all-day riding and great for romping in the snow. He was happy, and as custom boot-makers who love a challenge, so were we.

The Elephant Rally is sponsored by The Federal Association of Motorcycle Riders in Germany, and is typically held on or near the first weekend of February, near Thurmansbang, in the Bavarian Forest. Next year's event will start on 31 January. Tickets are €30. 

For further information on the event see the Federal Association of Motorcycle Riders' website: https://bvdm.de/aktivitaeten-und-fahrspass/elefantentreffen/