The brand and world-class athlete are currently collaborating to design a snowboard-specific pro sock, set for release in Fall 2022.
Sydney, AU (December 14, 2021) — Le Bent, Australia’s beloved makers of ultra-comfortable technical socks and thermal layers, proudly announces the arrival of legendary snowboarder Xavier De Le Rue to their international pro team. The big-name snowboarder joins the likes of fellow Le Bent teammates Cody Townsend, Elyse Saugstad and Sammy Carlson, all of whom actively collaborate with Le Bent in designing award-winning products that help skiers and snowboarders perform at the highest level.
“I tried the Lé Bent products for the first-time last year and was super impressed by the quality,” said De Le Rue. “When I saw what my buddy Cody [Townsend] was doing with the guys, I wanted to join in. We discussed the idea to make a splitboard/snowboard specific sock that really fits my riding style, which I found very appealing.”
Taking learnings from Lé Bent’s existing pro series socks, De Le Rue’s snowboard sock, which is in the final stages of testing, will include unique snowboard-specific construction elements to ensure the sock won’t have any pressure points where the binding straps apply pressure – an issue that was critical to De Le Rue. “I like a sock that is not too thin for touring and with a padding that is different from skiing,” he explained.
This isn’t the first time Lé Bent has listened to athlete’s personal requests to develop intentionally designed products. In 2019, Cody Townsend and Le Bent teamed up to bring to market the first backcountry-specific sock, which included several features addressing comfort and performance issues that had long-plagued the big-mountain skier.
The symbiotic relationship between premier athletes and Le Bent comes naturally, as Le Bent’s founders spent over a decade fitting boots in Val-d’Isère, France, where they learned a lot about boots, socks and feet working together on the hill.
“Long before we even started Le Bent, we spent countless days and hours listening to skiers and riders explain the issues they were having with their feet, and then doing whatever it took to help them comfortably stay on the mountain longer,” explained Le Bent Co-Founder, Simon Blondel.
“With Le Bent and our pro model collabs, we’re taking that same philosophy and simply elevating it.”
Another harmonious relationship is that between the company’s proprietary blend of sustainable raw materials – Merino wool and Bamboo. Having recently attended COP26, De Le Rues’s is also focused on working with brands to lessen their environmental impact.
“I am really trying to influence my partners to gradually shift the production of all the products towards a more sustainable version of them,” said De Le Rue. “And after 22 years of amazing opportunities through snowboarding, my goal now is to pass on my knowledge and inspire others to get out there and enjoy their own adventures. That goal starts with teaming up with Lé Bent to help snowboarders find a better fit, so they can take their riding to new heights.”
The Xavier De Le Rue Pro Sock will be available for media testing in January 2022 and at retail in Fall 2022.
For more information, please contact Maro LaBlance, at [email protected].
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ABOUT LÉ BENT
Born out of mateship, the two co-founders Simon and Anthony grew up next door to each other and have a combined love of alpine sports and a wealth of experience achieved over a decade of professional ski boot fitting and ski bummery.
Lé Bent originally launched to market with the first technical snow sock that successfully combined unrivalled comfort, performance and fit. Today, Lé Bent craft intelligently designed technical first on skin layers (socks, base layers and accessories) blurring the lines between luxurious comfort, performance and style.
Visit Lé Bent Website: https://www.lebent.com
ABOUT XAVIER DE LE RUE
Xavier has one of the most rounded resumes in all of professional snowboarding. The term G.O.A.T gets thrown around a lot in the sport world, so perhaps adding the prefix ‘Mountain’ to Xavier’s designation does him more justice. Over 22 years in the sport and counting, Xavier has helped shaped big mountain snowboarding into what it is today.
Whether he’s wearing a contest jersey or logging first descents on polar peaks and volcanoes, Xavier maintains his humble approach to the mountains and natural world in which he plays. He now resides and rides in Verbier, when not on a distant peak.
“I have been lucky enough to make snowboarding my career. I have travelled the world with my board, from the Kuril Islands, to Antarctica, Svalbard to Spain I try to keep moving forward and evolving in what I do to keep it interesting for me and for you!” – Xavier De Le Rue
Accomplishments:
- 3 x Freeride World Tour Champion (2008, 2009, 2010)
- 4 x World Boardercross Champion.
- 4 x winner of the Verbier Xtremes
- Baker Banked Slalom, 2002
- First Descent, Captain Face, Antarctica
- First Descent, Impossible Wall, Alaska