How It All Started: Our Cycling Heritage

There's a road in Humboldt County, California called Showers Pass. The wildlife and dynamic beauty of the landscape reward hardcore cyclists for gaining 12,000ft in elevation, braving variable and often treacherous weather, and enduring up to 100 miles in the saddle. 25 years ago, this ride was the inspiration for the name of our organization. Now, that challenging ride stands as a perfect metaphor for what the Showers Pass team does every day: surmounting technical design challenges to truly enjoy the natural world, in all conditions.

It all started in 1997, when Dave Morrow wanted to make himself the perfect cycling-specific rain jacket. Dave wanted a jacket that would be perfect for the variable Pacific Northwest climate: something comfortable enough to wear at the start of a ride, and 50 miles in, too. He tinkered with the design, selected the material and commissioned a local kayak paddle sports apparel company to make him a one-of-a-kind goldenrod jacket. The first Elite Jacket was born.

Since that very first Elite jacket, we've continued innovating apparel and gear that maximizes outdoor adventure: striving for the optimal balance of weather protection, breathability, and fit for different activities. Things have changed since 1997, but we remain true to our roots: finding the perfect construction and features that gets us outside longer, and more often.

Where We Are Today: Our Team & Our Mission

Based in Portland, Oregon, Showers Pass is a growing team of outdoor enthusiasts who bike, run, hike, climb and play in the outdoors. We like to think our products reflect our work-hard/play-hard attitude. We are each committed to making communing with nature a priority: through our products and in how we help each other, our neighbors and customers.

We ship directly to you from our headquarters right here in Portland. You can call us and speak with a team member that works here, too. If you're local, you can even visit our showroom, and get advice from the team on the right gear for your adventures. However you interact with us, you'll find out what our other customers already know: that the Showers Pass team is knowledgeable and eager to help you out.

Our reputation as a brand is built on our use of high-performance materials in combination with innovative, functional designs. We are most widely known for our waterproof-breathable outerwear, but our performance apparel, waterproof socks, gloves, and waterproof bags are equally awesome. Our products are used by road cyclists, mountain bikers, mountaineers, runners, skiers, paddlers, endurance athletes, first responders: those whose lifestyles demand high performance and reliability from their gear.

What's Next: Our Vision

Our mission is to get everyone to spend more time outside, no matter the weather. We know that more time in nature increases personal well-being and mental health: it also improves our connection to the landscape, our place in the world. If we were all a little happier, and a little more in tune with the outdoors, we believe life would be better for the whole planet. That's why we continue to expand our product offering, introduce programs like Enjoy All Elements, and get involved with multiple organizations to increase participation and access to the outdoors.

Reducing our impact on the environment while making high-quality long-lasting products is part of our mission to enable outdoor adventure for everyone. That's why we've outlined specific goals (and have been holding ourselves accountable) to hit by 2025. Read more about our Sustainability Goals here.

Enabling outdoor adventure means more than just technically advanced apparel. Of course, we’ll continue to innovate gear that makes it more enjoyable to be outside–it’s our core expertise– but what we really aim to do is transform the way people think about being outside.

Visit our Headquarters and  Retail Space in Portland, Oregon:

2101 SE 6th Ave

Portland, OR 97214

Call us at 503-203-8000