![]() ![]() ![]() While shoes may not seem like the most technological apparel to figure out (biological changes in foot shape and toe strength indicate that people were using footwear with substantial soles about 40,000 years ago), it turns out that there is a science to not only protecting our feet, but also allowing us to push our abilities and travel places and distances we otherwise could not. ![]() Think laminated mesh, moldable rubber compounds, and ESS rock plates. The result is two designs that cleverly apply material sets and unique construction. The two newest products to come out of the Lab, the MTL MQM and the MTL Long Sky 2, were engineered over the course of several years with the help of elite trail runners and mountain pros to challenge what’s possible - and to allow athletes to think less (read: worry less) about their feet and enjoy more of their time outside. Merrell Test Lab (or, MTL), was launched in 2019, with the purpose of conceptualizing and designing footwear that was capable of performing in tricky, wild, rocky, wet, steep, and otherwise technical terrain and-perhaps more importantly-allowing the wearer (whether they are a professional athlete or literally anyone else) to move securely and safely, have a good time doing it, and stay reasonably comfortable given the conditions. One of the labs at the forefront of this highly-specific science is the Merrell Test Lab, an innovation incubator established in partnership with Merrell’s roster of elite athletes (like Ragna Debats, a renowned ultrarunner who has a cache of trail ultra race wins under her belt). The only thing keeping you stuck to the terra firma beneath your feet is willpower, your physical faculties, and two smears of rubber called soles.įortunately, scientists (and a handful of very studious designers) have spent years developing, prototyping, and testing materials-and stitching them all together-so that folks like you (and superathletes like that guy from Free Solo) can pull on a pair of shoes and surefootedly explore the world, high and low. Overlooking the charming city of Boulder, Colorado, from the top of the region’s celebrated Flatirons, you have more than a thousand feet of air to your left, and hundreds more to your right. This rock is hoisted more than 7,000 feet above sea level, thanks to the robust - and erratic - tectonic collisions of 65 million years ago. Imagine, for a moment, that you’re nearly a half-mile above the rest of the world, tiptoeing across conglomeratic sandstone vaulted atop Precambrian granite. ![]()
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