A total of 140 shoe companies are among the 868 exhibitors booked for this week’s OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen, or 14 percent more than one year ago. This can be partly explained by the explosion of trail running and the development of urban outdoor styles. One out of six pairs of running shoes worn in Germany is for trail running. Among the novelties at the show, Lowa is launching a new Speed Hiking concept, which looks like a further evolution of the Nordic Walking concept. Keen is launching a new Fast Trail line of trailing running shoes with thin soles intended to follow the natural rolling movement of the foot. Vasque is putting out a special trail running shoe for women, called Velocity, that weighs only 342 grams. Càrn of Britain is putting out a stylish new trekking boots. We have already reported on Tecnica’s new TRS Max trail-running shoe with an oversized sole. More novelties are expected at the show.
