Hoka has long been cradling feet with some of the beefiest, cushiest running and hiking shoes in the game, and now it's protecting wearers in a new way. Its all-new Mafate X Hike hybrid boot aims to help adventurers fulfill some of their loftiest goals, pushing them deeper and harder into wild spaces inaccessible to ordinary mortals. And if something goes wrong, the innovative new boot helps prevent those brave souls from being relegated to wolf feed, streamlining search-and-rescue ops with integrated Recco tech.
Hoka (née Hoka One One) has never been afraid to stand out in a crowd. Born in 2009, in the midst of the wide-sweeping barefoot running/minimalist "shoe" movement of the era, the company forged its own path forward by going the polar opposite direction: shoes so beefy and cushioned, they looked medical grade. But that pillowy, "maximalist" approach steadily caught on and propelled Hoka to become one of the most popular names in running shoes today.
It's no surprise, then, that the latest Hoka looks very different from the average hiking boots with which it aims to compete. In fact, we'd be alarmed if it looked similar.
Spawned from the Mafate branch of the Hoka family that winds back to the company's very first shoe, the Mafate X Hike looks the part of a hybrid ankle-high trail runner/lightweight hiker, but just because it's not crafted from thick, ultra-stiff leather with a toe that could pulverize granite doesn't mean it isn't a serious option for knocking down miles after miles of rough, dusty trail and exposed alpine rock. It's just designed to be a more streamlined long-distance support system.
In fact, Hoka has crafted the Mafate X Hike specifically for long-haul hiking and adventuring, packaging together the poppy, protective carbon fiber plate and plush, dual-density-foam midsole from its low-riding Mafate X trail runner with a new neoprene collar designed to deliver close fit and support without the weight and bulk of thicker, heftier constructions. A speed-lacing system wraps the upper tightly to the ankle in an instant.
The forked carbon plate is tuned for delivering an extra propulsive boost when covering distances and insta-reacting to unpredictable terrain changes. Zonal reinforcements fend off unfriendly rocks, stumps and features, and a Vibram Megagrip sole clenches all kinds of slippery, unbalanced raw ground.
With the idea that the Mofate X Hike is built to mega-mile into remote spaces where even a simple injury could turn into a life-threatening disaster in a blink, the boot becomes Hoka's first to incorporate a Recco reflector. Originally developed for avalanche rescue, Sweden's Recco AB expanded into wider-spread all-season search and rescue (SAR) a decade ago.
The two-part Recco system equips participating SAR teams with electronic detectors that send out radar signals meant to bounce off the victim's reflector to help identify their location for speedier rescue. Using the system via helicopter, emergency response teams can search 1 square kilometer of remote, rugged wild land in as little as six minutes.
Recco is a short-range system lacking the more robust communications support of a satellite-based rescue beacon like Garmin's inReach, but it's designed to be a simple, inexpensive solution integrated directly into the apparel and gear you're already using, as opposed to a pricey extra carried separately. It's far from universal, but Recco says its technology is used by more than 900 ski resorts and mountain rescue organizations in 32 different countries around the world, concentrated in adventure destinations like North America's Mountain West, the Central Alps, New Zealand and Scandinavia.
Do you even need an electronic search-and-rescue system when your shoe is that explosively bright? Well, if it's safe to do so, we can't imagine holding or lashing that extra-bright "Hoka citrus and alabaster" Mafate X hiking boot up high won't help your chances of getting spotted by SAR more quickly once it's within visible range, especially if your jacket/pants/hat are less conspicuously shaded.
The unisex Mofate X Hike launched this month for a price of US$250. It's only available in that single extra-bright multi-tone color option, so be prepared to get seen ... whether you're trying to or not.
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