ActiveHiking & WalkingIntriguing new hiking boots use motion-activated pistons to prevent ankle injuryLike a seatbelt for your feetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveHiking & WalkingIntriguing new hiking boots use motion-activated pistons to prevent ankle injuryLike a seatbelt for your feetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Like a seatbelt for your feet
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: TERREIN)
(Image credit: TERREIN)
While there are occasionally exciting developments in the walking boot world, the fact of the matter is that many of today’sbest hiking bootsare variations on a theme – albeit a very well honed theme that definitely works. Once you’ve been reading about and testing out boots for a while, it’s rare for a press release to land in your inbox that genuinely makes you do a double take. That is what happened with the TERREIN hiking boots.
That system, from collaborator Betterguards, is designed to mimic the function of the ligaments and muscles, but… better. According to TERREIN, your own slow, rubbish muscles need 100 milliseconds to activate, while Betterguards’ technology needs 30 milliseconds. That means the instant you start to slip, the pistons kick in, stiffening to stabilise the joint and prevent the twist or tear from ever happening.
(Image credit: TERREIN)
(Image credit: TERREIN)
The rest of the boot features a flexible, Velcro-fastened sock construction, and a rubber compound outsole with high side walls for grip. TERREIN says it’ll offer full freedom of movement when a slip is not occurring – assuming that exoskeleton and power adaptor don’t get in the way, of course – because it’s clever enough to know what’s a natural movement and what could cause injury. Think of them like seatbelts for your feet: these boots use a hydraulic mechanism that’ll kick in when there’s a jerky or unnaturally fast movement.
(Image credit: TERREIN)
(Image credit: TERREIN)
They’re designed for anyone who wants to move quickly, or for long periods, over unstable or tricky terrain. When you’re wearing these, you don’t even need to worry about taking a tumble. As you’d hope with an experimental technology such as this, it has undergone plenty of testing – Betterguards reassures us that development involved 11,000 hours of trials on athletes.
“Free from physical restrictions, mental barriers and the fear of injury, Betterguards’ transformational technology combines the natural freedom of motion with effective joint protection," says TERREIN’s Francois Tabard. “We want wearers of TERREIN to take in the true beauty of hiking, enrich their experiences of nature and ensure they are not only focused on their feet, but their beautiful surroundings as well.”
TERREIN boots are on sale now for £180 or €220 – which is actually in line with other upper-mid boots. The company is only producing them in small numbers to meet local demand and prevent wastage. Head towww.terrein-footwear.comfor more.
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