Salewa Speed Ascent Shoe Wins Outside Magazine’s 2014 Gear of the Show Award

Boulder, Colorado  – Salewa, one of the fastest growing brands in technical, mountain, and casual footwear, has won Outside Magazine’s prestigious Gear of the Show award for its innovative technical hiking shoe, the Speed Ascent. At every Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow in Salt Lake City, Utah, outdoor brands vie for this coveted accolade by Outside Magazine’s editorial staff, who scour the show floor in search of the coolest, most innovative new gear from well over 1000 global brands.

A no-nonsense hiking shoe, the Speed Ascent integrates two innovative technologies: (1) Take-Off construction, which creates a pre-fixed cambered toe position, and (2) a Rolling Gait sole system by Vibram®, incorporating the special rocker profile present throughout the entire length of the shoe. The Speed Ascent’s progressive design pays dividends for hikers in the form of fatigue reduction and unrivaled on-trail comfort.

“As a strong, storied European brand that’s just beginning to scratch the surface of the North American market, this award from Outside Magazine is a huge honor,” said Jamie Starr, Marketing Manager for Salewa North America. “This is our second Gear of the Show Award in just a few short years, and it’s a testament to our drive for recognition as both a strong brand and innovation leader in this market, and in our industry as a whole.”

“The Salewa Speed Ascents aren’t the first rockered athletic shoes we’ve seen,” commented Outside Magazine Editor Joe Jackson. “But the Speed Ascents offer the most extreme rocker to-date, combined with slew of smart performance details, including a double-row lacing system that has an insane 28 loops to lock in your ideal fit for downhilling. Just like rockered skis make skiers feel like they’re cheating in powder, cambered shoes provide a mechanical advantage by encouraging your foot to move in a more fluid, circular stride once you’ve gotten used to them.”

As the official shoe of the Red Bull X-ALPS (the world’s toughest adventure race, where athletes must race through the Alps, by foot and paraglider in a straight line distance of 1,000km.), the Speed Ascent had to blur the lines between running, climbing and hiking to meet the arduous demands of course. Featuring a double-lacing system, an overlapping tongue, a breathable mesh outsole, while only weighing 360 grams per shoe, this highly technical hiker features Salewa’s 100% blister-free alpine fit, Multi-fit footbed, and superior 3F system.

The Speed Ascent is already being tested by adventure athlete Gavin McClurg, who recently attempted to fly across the Canadian Rockies with partner Will Gadd. Additionally, Salewa will be sending shoes to members of the media, bloggers, and specialty retailers for their review to further drive the excitement of this revolutionary design. Available in North America beginning in April, 2015.


                                                                                             
About Salewa North America

Salewa North America, located in Boulder, Colorado, is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Salewa International, based in Bolzano, Italy. Salewa International is a family-owned business with operations around the world. Salewa North America manages the USA/Canada sales, operations, marketing, distribution, and customer service functions for the Salewa brand, along with two of the world’s preeminent backcountry ski brands – Dynafit (based in Munich, Germany), and Pomoca (based in Aubonne, Switzerland) – and rock climbing brand Wild Country (based in Tideswell, U.K.). http://www.salewa.com

Press Contacts:
Eric Henderson
Phone 303.444.0446
Mobile 307.690.2984
eric.henderson@salewa.com

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