Special soles for snowboarders
13/10/2008
Research suggesting that 30% of winter sports accidents happen away from the slopes has spurred footwear sole specialist Vibram to introduce a new range of products.
Vibram has supplied soles for telemark and alpine skiing footwear for some time, but the accident statistics have encouraged to company to bring its knowledge to snow sports too.
New products include the Driver X and SuperLight, and footwear brands already on board to use them include Burton, Crispi, Dalbello, Head, K2, Lange, Lowa/Tecnica, Rossignol and Scarpa.
The Driver X sole is made of Vibram’s Trek compound and offers grip and durability. The toe features a snow-cat inspired tread for uphill traction in backcountry hard pack. In the heel, the lugs’ sharp leading edges provide excellent downhill breaking. Along the binding, lugs are flat and wide for maximum stability. Broad spacing between lugs improves snow release and reduces weight. Also to achieve minimal weight, it has an EVA midsole with deep internal flex-grooves in the forefoot and midsole that reduce foot fatigue while hiking or walking.
The SuperLight sole is being used exclusively in K2 footwear at the moment.
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