Salomon Unveils New Adventure Touring Product Line

January 3, 2017

S/LAB X Alp Boots, skis and apparel developed in collaboration with top Salomon athletes

The 2017-2018 S/LAB X Alp range of adventure touring products features a new ski boot, ski, and apparel range created specifically for the body movements of touring. The invention of these products begins when athletes, guides and designers gather around a table to share insights on performance and contribute ideas—however crazy they might seem to be. The goal is to build future technologies that are lightweight, deliver safety and performance going uphill and down, and allow our athletes to climb and ski more technical lines than ever before.

“The all new S/Lab X-Alp range is designed to be your dependable gear in the adventure touring segment. It’s equipment for adventurers looking to ascend to the top of peaks by multiple means,” says Scott Lumsden, product marketing manager alpine skis & bindings. “They are skinning up, then putting their skis on their pack, crampons on their boots and have their ice axe in hand. But, as downhill is in the Salomon DNA, we also provide you exceptional performance when the skis go back on for the descent. S/Lab equipment is always created in close collaboration with our athletes who rely on the products that they are using to be the absolute best in the most demanding environments.”

When the ski boot designers at Salomon’s Annecy Design Center give athletes a prototype product to test, they know the Salomon team members won’t be going easy on it. In the case of the S/LAB X Alp touring ski boot ($1099), Salomon athletes took their testing mission to the extreme. Freeride skiers/mountaineers Tony Lamiche and Alex Pittin used their prototype boots to ski La Nan Blanc/La Verte in Chamonix, a face that had been skied just three times in history. On the women’s side, Liv Sansoz climbed and skied the Matterhorn in the S/LAB X Alp boots. And Kilian Jornet took the X Alp boots to Everest and spent his “play” days climbing and skiing on the world’s highest mountain.

Here’s why: The boot features a unique 3D rotating cuff that provides lateral range of motion (23 degrees external and 12 degrees internal), making steep traverses and technical steeps easier. To deliver downhill performance, Salomon engineers used a construction that has been proven in the MTN and QST Pro boot concepts. A carbon cuff for rearward support and Sensifit™ shell for power transmission give you confidence to make reliable, enjoyable descents. The S/ LAB X Alp boot is also lightweight because every gram matters when you’re bagging multiple peaks in the same day. At 1,150kg on each foot, you won’t be wasting any weight.

The S/Lab X Alp Ski ($699/$749 with skins) is designed for adventure touring aficionados who seek a ski with reliability, stability and strength to get them uphill quickly and then safely downhill with technical precision. At 80mm at the waist, it weighs just 980 grams and was developed in close partnership with Kilian Jornet for ascending and skiing some of the most challenging peaks in Europe. To help make ascents less of a struggle, the S/Lab X Alp Ski is made with a super-light Karuba wood core and a TPU Koroyd tip, allowing designers to achieve the absolute minimum weight. Layers of carbon, fiberglass and the all-natural flax fiber are positioned in just the right areas to provide superior strength-to-weight ratio and tip resistance. That means the ski is strong enough to be your safety partner during your descent of places like narrow couloirs. The reinforced binding zone has a Titanium insert and then a monocoque fiber layer on top to deliver a reliable binding hold even in high-torque situations.

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About Salomon:

Born in the French Alps in 1947, Salomon is committed to pushing the boundaries of mountain sports through the creation of innovative equipment that allows people to play, progress and challenge themselves in their chosen outdoor sports. The company produces and sells premium footwear, winter sports and mountaineering equipment, hiking equipment, and apparel specifically designed for all of those disciplines. Products are developed in the company’s Annecy Design Center, where engineers, designers and athletes collaborate to create innovative solutions that continually improve the outdoor experiences of those who see nature as a vast playground. www.salomon.com