The Vasque booth at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was a shoe fiend’s dream come true. Walls of snappy leather boots, fancy trail shoes and freaky looking running gear hung in neatly prepared rows. With so much to ogle, I was a bit overwhelmed. Luckily for me, the Vasque rep was happy to showcase four of the newest items that the company will be showcasing in 2013-14.
My shoe envy began with the Grand Traverse. New for 2014, this all mountain shoe is named for a famed route in Grand Teton National Park. The Grand Traverse features a Vibam Ibex soul with a lug pattern aggressive enough to make it a capable piece of footwear no matter what the conditions. Vasque claims these bad boys are just as happy bombing down scree fields as they are when scrambling over wet boulders. These things are stylish! To me, they look almost more tennis-shoe inspired than a traditional approach/trail shoe, but once you get a look at the construction in these bad boys, you’ll have no doubt they are meant for logging miles in the woods.
Maybe you prefer your adventures wet. Well, Vasque hasn’t forgotten about you, either, Aquafolks. The Lotic is a shoe built for when you decide that stable, dry land just isn’t fun enough. Vibram and Vasque developed the Idrogrip souls on the shoe, a design exclusive to the Lotic. At first glance, they look like many other water shoes out there. I was happy to see this wasn’t the case: Vasque has equipped the Lotic with drain ports in the souls, and a mesh liner between the soul and footbed to keep annoying debris from making its way to your feet. The uppers are made of fast drying polyester mesh and synthetic leather, and it’s all topped off with a quick lace system. If you’re looking for some new aqua shoes, these might be the ticket.
For the backpackers out there, Vasque continues to push its stellar lineup of boots to the next level. I know more than a few folks sporting the Wasatch boots for hiking and packing, and I’m sad to report they are going away. Hold your tears, there is good news! The St. Elias GTX boots will be replacing them, and man do they look sweet. A full waterproof leather upper sits on top a midsole made to please feet. EVA cushioning pods ease the pain on the balls of your feet while an A.S.E. midsole helps to conform to irregularities in the trail. But it really starts with the Vibram Frontier souls, another design exclusive to Vasque boots. Interesting side note: the St. Elias GTX boots were initially going to be called the “Uintas,” but apparently not enough people knew what mountain range that was. Seems that we do have a few good secrets left here in Utah!
The final piece of the puzzle for Vasque at OR was the alien-looking (and very aptly named) Shapeshifter Ultra. These freaky looking kicks are made for those of you who partake in one of the more hardcore outdoors activities: distance trail running. An injection-molded EVA outsoles keep the shoes clear of imperfections and allow them to contour to your feet. The Shapeshifters will actually expand as your feet do, and when you take an awkward angle on that boulder hop, you can bet the shoes will move with your body. The uppers are stitched to the outsoles to cut down on chemical waste during the construction process. Oh, and forget about insoles…that’s so 2013! The Shapeshifter has a 2mm PU fabric underfoot that is part of the upper. It all stays tight thanks to a single wire BOA lace system, so making quick adjustments on the trail is a snap.
Seems like 2014 will be a solid year for this stalwart shoe maker. Vasque will still be offering many of their longtime favorite models, but the new additions look great and are packed with cutting edge technology. You’ve got to hand it to them: Vasque isn’t kicking their feet up by any stretch, and the new editions to the lineup are sure to be coming to a trail near you.