Nike Taps Vibram to Give a Technology Boost to Its Trail Footwear

Nike Trail is getting a technology boost from Vibram.

The athletic giant and the high-performance sole manufacturer announced a partnership today, which will bring Vibram’s outsoles to the Nike Trail footwear range.

The first Nike Trail shoe that will feature Vibram tech is the Ultrafly Trail.

“We are thrilled to partner with Nike, a brand that shares our passion for excellence. Together, we are expanding the trail running community by combining Vibram’s highly desired innovations with Nike’s world-class running footwear,” Vibram Corp. global chief brand officer and president Fabrizio Gamberini said in a statement. “The Nike Ultrafly Trail exemplifies our shared belief in the power of collaboration providing athletes with trail running technology that pushes the boundaries of innovation.”

In a statement today, the companies said Nike footwear designers collaborated with its elite trail athletes in 2021 to create “a premium racing shoe tailored specifically for the trails.” The designers, the statement continued, recognized a need for exceptional grip and traction on rough terrain, and teamed up with Vibram designers “to incorporate their expertise into the latest Nike Trail footwear innovation.”

Vibram’s contribution to the Nike Ultrafly Trail is its Litebase technology, which the company explained offers trail runners a lightweight, agile outsole design with its Traction Lug technology and MegaGrip compound.

Aside from the outsole innovation, the Nike Ultrafly Trail — which the athletic giant called its “pinnacle trail racing shoe” and described as sleek, grippy and fast — also features a carbon Flyplate for the first time in Nike Trail, which sits between the ZoomX foam and a fabric-wrapped midsole. Also, it includes Vaporweave uppers that are combined with classic collar construction, counter and fit system, which Nike explained “ensures lightweight comfort and reliability for miles of racing on the trails.”

Nike said Tyler Green, and ultrarunner and coach backed by the brand, was the original muse for the innovation. Green, according to Nike, logged more than 1,000 miles in the shoes throughout training and raced in three consecutive top-five finishes at the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run in the shoe.

“I’ve put the shoe to the test across rocky terrain, hard climbs, fast descents and tough workouts,” Green said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see my perspective and feedback directly inform a product that will help all runners chase their goals on the trails.”

The Nike Ultrafly Trail will debut on July 27 in limited quantities in Europe, and will arrive in August globally via Nike.com and with select specialty retailers.