LAKE FOREST, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2007)—Think skate shoes are all puff and not much else? Think again. Skate shoes (and the skateboarders who wear them) have to endure plenty of thrashing on a daily basis, from devastating primo landings (landing on top of a sideways skateboard with your arches) to exhilarating (not to mention dangerous) 20-foot drops. Ouch.

Motion sensors track a skater's every move in the state-of-the-art lab facility.

Over at Lake Forest, Calif.-based Sole Technology, makers of etnies, éS and Emerica footwear, the company is committed to reducing the number of foot-related skate injuries in its very own 10,000 square-foot R&D hubbub, the Sole Technology Institute (STI). “We basically have three goals—enhance the performance of our athletes, reduce the injuries that athletes receive to their feet and increase the longevity of their careers,” STI lab manager Jeremy Determan tells WSAToday.com.

Here, at the world’s first and only action sports research lab, it’s not unusual to hear the words “aversion qualities” and “nosegrind” in the same sentence. Yet as laid-back as skateboarding can be, the lab takes its testing very seriously. All technology is developed in four phases of testing—biomechanical, physical, wear and fit—not just product testing.

The best way to test out new shoes is to get them on the ramp.

Why? Determan is quick to point out the unique challenges of developing skate shoes. “The two areas that make skate shoes so dramatically different from other athletic shoes is the cushioning performance that they need and the durability,” he says. Intense physical force takes a toll on skaters’ feet, as one hard skateboard landing can create a force equal to 17 or 18 times a skater’s body weight, all of it concentrated on the feet. “You’ve got a huge amount of forces that you don’t see in other athletic sports.” Basketball, by comparison, can exert a force up to six or eight times a player’s body weight.

Determan adds, “It’d be awesome if we could make mid-soles as thick as possible but we can’t because kids need to feel the board underneath the feet. You want it to be as thin as possible but also able to absorb as much force as possible.” On top of that, abrasive grip tape used on decks does a number on outsoles. “Most people who run or play basketball go through maybe one or two pairs of shoes a year; the average skateboarder is buying seven to eight a year,” he says.

A prototype of the new éS FV-1

The researchers’ hard work has paid off; in 2003, they developed a now-trademarked shock-absorbing technology called System G2 and, most recently, they unveiled the lightest technical skate shoe on record, the éS Scale, which registers up to 70 grams less than most tech shoes.

This November, Sole Technology debuted its newest technology, FV-1, short for Full Visibility One, in limited release. “We have the first full-length airbag with gel embedded in the airbag,” says Determan. “The airbag is there to absorb all those forces and when it bottoms out, the gel kicks in. The advantage is that you get full-length protection on your foot.” The full release is in January.

  More Industry News Articles