The only direction provided was to develop a carbon-plated, ultra-distance trail shoe. The specifics regarding carbon fiber, foam, and geometry were left to Alex Leuchanka and myself on the innovation team.
We aimed to create a more advanced running system than what was currently available to the market. The goal was to design a shoe to confidently race over hundreds of miles of diverse mountain terrain. After several months of ideation, prototyping, and testing, we presented our final concept as the Mont Blanc Carbon to the greater team.
I introduced the concept with the theme, "Speed Over All” by comparing the Mont Blanc Carbon running experience to a thin layer of clouds that could glide effortlessly over harsh terrain.
The Mont Blanc Carbon offers unique running experience by combining the following components:
1. A highly-elastic midsole foam rim to absorb and conform over uneven terrain.
2. A flexible carbon plate by Carbitex to equally disperse and regulate foot pressure while also shielding the foot from rock strikes from below.
3. An inelastic EGO Pro super foam core that interacts directly underfoot for greater energy return and reduced foot fatigue.
It was a great exercise in design, development, prototyping, athlete testing, and development. We've been seeing this shoe on the tops of the podiums lately. Our athletes are crushing it. I'm already motivated to implement the lessons learned from this project on the next version!
I would like to thank the hard work from the following individuals who made this possible:
Applied Research, Materials, and Data Collection: Aliaksandr Leuchanka
Design Direction: Fernando Hernandez
Development: Sheila Kaufman
Athlete Testing: Jeff Browning
Here are some thought studies and renders from my design process for the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon tooling system: