SOLE News & Events

SOLE Signs On As Title Sponsor of Baja Travesia Adventure Race

SOLE has inked a deal to be the title sponsor of the third annual Baja Travesia Adventure Race. SOLE Baja Travesia, which takes place March 24-29, 2008, is a non-stop, three-person endurance team race across the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.

"The world's top adventure racing teams, which often race on their feet for hundreds of miles in a single competition, have long had a strong affinity for our products," notes SOLE president, Mike Baker. "The Travesia organizers, Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren, have been SOLE athletes for years and our sponsorship of this race is a great way to support them and the sport of adventure racing as a whole."

SOLE Baja Travesia, as its name implies, is a 400-kilometer co-ed team race traversing the Baja Peninsula. The race includes a paddle board section in the Sea of Cortez, trekking through Mexico's San Pedro Martir mountain range, canyoneering through some of the world's least explored gorges, mountain biking through spectacular alpine deserts and a final kayak leg in the big waves of the Pacific Ocean. A highlight of the race is the desert auto rally, in which teams cross the barren landscape of the Baja Desert while navigating Baja race cars.

In a first-ever for the sport of adventure racing, SOLE Baja Travesia will include an all women's team division with a competitive prize purse. The race is also a qualifier for the Adventure Racing World Championships in Brazil in October 2008.

"SOLE has really stepped up to the plate for Baja Travesia," states race director, Paul Romero. "A couple of SOLE employees raced in Travesia last year and they had a blast. As we work to make this a marquee race in North America, one that showcases the drama of the sport and the beauty of the Baja landscape, we are eternally grateful for the support of the good folks at SOLE."

Race directors Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren, the co-captains of Team SOLE, are accomplished adventure racers themselves with top finishes in all of the sport's major races. They are also the parents of Jordan Romero, an eleven-year-old SOLE athlete who has climbed four of the world's seven summits as he endeavors to become the youngest person to climb the highest peak on each of the world's continents.

For more information about SOLE Baja Travesia check out www.bajatravesia.com.

Posted: February 27^th, 2008

SOLE Presents Endeavour 8000 and Beyond with Ed Viesturs

Well known as one of America’s leading high altitude mountaineers, Ed Viesturs is famous for finishing his 16-year quest to climb all fourteen of the World’s 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. Come join us for a fun interactive evening as Ed recounts past climbs, hanging out with the Seahawks and his recent expedition to Baffin Island with Global Warming 101. Also, see what’s planned for his up-coming expedition this spring to Ellesmere Island. Amazing photography, gripping story-telling and some great gear prizes from SOLE promise to make this an excellent evening.

Date: April 10^th, 2008
Time: 7pm (Doors open at 6:45pm)
Location: REI Seattle Flagship Store
Address: 222 Yale Ave N. Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 223-1944, (888) 873-1938

Cost is $5.00 with all proceeds going to support Global Warming 101. Ed will be available for book signing after the event.

Posted: February 27^th, 2008

Jordan Romero Summits Aconcagua

At 3:30pm Argentina time on December 30th, Jordan completed his record-setting summit of Aconcagua at 11 years of age. Huge congrats to Jordan and the whole team. This is the fourth peak in his quest to climb the Seven Summits — he has previously climbed Kilimanjaro, Kosciuszko and Elbrus. Check out the Team Feed The Machine blog or Jordan's Athlete page here for more details.

Posted: January 2^nd, 2008

SOLE Welcomes John Griber to Aconcagua Trip

John Griber is an accomplished Adventure Snowboarder and Cinematographer. He has performed many premier snowboard descents all over the globe and has been awarded an Emmy for his cinematography skills. In May of this year, John climbed Mt. Everest with a camera on his shoulder to film Werner Berger; the oldest man to climb Everest (69 years old). See www.meetmeatthetop.com for more info and be sure to check out the the trailer.

We're very pleased and excited to welcome John as he joins Jordan Romero's trek up Aconcagua this week. John plans to film Jordan now (age 11) with the goal of filming his remaining mountains over time. Best of luck to the team and be sure to keep and eye here for updates from the climb.

Posted: December 17^th, 2007

Jordan Prepares for Mountain #4: Aconcagua, Argentina

As the snow finally starts to fall many little kids are thinking about Christmas. What toy are they going to get this year? Well, for 11-year-old Jordan Romero his thoughts are of a different kind. “What is it going to be like to spend Christmas at 23,00ft?” In two weeks time Jordan will be leaving his home in Big Bear, CA to travel to Mendoza, Argentina to climb Aconcagua. Among his team will be father Paul Romero and stepmother Karen Lundgren, both world-class adventure racers and part of Team SOLE. Adventure snowboarder turned pro-mountain cinematographer John Griber will be along to film the expedition. Friends Claire Thompson, Michael Perks and Ryan Bolding will be also be there for laughs and support on the climb. Logistics and base camp support will come in the form a magic bus with Argentinian Magic Man Pablo and his amor Alejandra at the helm.

Thanks to The North Face for making sure the team stays warm with down clothing, sleeping bags and high-mountain expedition tents. Their feet will be safe and warm with Scarpa's red hot technical plastic boot, the Omega. To stop anyone from slipping away Kahtoola has outfitted the team with their insanely light and durable KTS Steel Crampons. SOLE's Ed Viesturs Signature Series insoles will be in each pair of boots for support as the feet are weighed down by heavy packs and to provide superior insulation high on the mountain.

For more info on the climb and updates from the mountain, visit Jordan's athlete page.

Posted: December 10^th, 2007

Our Dual-Layer Anti-Blister Socks Featured in The Examiner

The Examiner featured our Dual-Layer Anti-Blister Socks in their paper today. You can view The Examiner online if you like. Look for us in the special Holiday Edition of Shelf Life (page 39 of the San Francisco edition). Thanks to Examiner Correspondent Marisa Torrieri for the kind words.

Posted: December 7^th, 2007

Jan Hudec Wins Gold at World Cup Downhill

Mental toughness, intense training and resilience were Jan's secrets on the weekend when he won the men's Downhill at the first FIS World Cup race of the year. On home ground at the beautiful Lake Louise ski resort, Jan appeared calm and confident. His turns were smooth and his glide faster than ever. Returning from a devastating knee injury, in which Jan under went three consecutive knee surgeries, has been a long and difficult road. It is interesting to note that Jan considers SOLE one of the key ingredients to his new found speed. By helping to correct his posture and stance with properly aligned feet Jan has better contact with the snow which results in a smoother, faster glide. Way to go Jan & SOLE!

Read more about Jan's downhill victory at the Alpine Canada website.

Posted: November 30^th, 2007

SOLE Footbeds Selected as a Favorite for Skiers This Winter

Skiing Magazine picks SOLE as one of its "82 Favorite Things" in the December 2007 issue. From the article:

“Buy a pair of custom boot liners and footbeds. When your feet are comfortable, you're a better skier. The most foot-friendly combination is a heat moldable Intuition liner, made of lightweight EVA foam, combined with SOLE's Softec Regular custom footbed.”

Posted: November 21^st, 2007

Ted's Shoe & Sport is our first SOLE Featured Retailer

Ted's Shoe & Sport in Keene, New Hampshire is our first ever featured SOLE Retailer! Congrats to Ted and all of his staff. Read more on our Where to Buy page.

Posted: October 23^rd, 2007

Our Socks Make Feet Happy

Dimity McDowell blogs at Marathon Moms, one of several blogs over at the Runner's World site. She recently checked out our new SOLE Socks at the Outdoor Retailer trade show and they made quite the impression:

“While they alone make my feet happy—they're super soft, thin and breathable—but the message they send is even better: knitted on the inside [of] the ankle band are the words "love thanks" in red.”

Read the article for more of her thoughts on our socks and the little message that comes with each pair. Thanks for your kind words Dimity!

Posted: August 29^th, 2007

Explore Magazine Reviews Ed Viesturs Edition

Explore Magazine — July Edition. Click image to view larger.

Our Ed Viesturs Signature Edition footbed was reviewed by Explore Magazine in their July edition. From the article:

“They actually helped one tester who was suffering from IT band pains recover and hike pain free.”

Posted: August 29^th, 2007

DK+ Footbed Introduced at Outdoor Retailer

We are launching a new Nike+ compatible footbed this week at the Outdoor Retailer Summer show in Salt Lake City, Utah. Check out our DK+ product page for all the details.

Posted: August 9^th, 2007

Jordan Romero Climbs To The Top Of Europe

At 11:30am local time, Jordan Romero reached the Summit of Mt. Elbrus in Russia. 3 peaks down, 4 to go. Congratulations from the entire team at SOLE!

Take a look at Jordan's athlete page for more details.

Posted: July 12^th, 2007

Jordan Romero en route to Mt Elbrus

On a quest to be the youngest mountaineer to climb the seven summits, Jordan Romero is now en route to his third summit, Mt Elbrus. At the young age of 10 years old Jordan has already climbed Mt Kilmanjaro, Tanzania and Mt Kosciuszko, Australia. At 18,510ft Mt Elbrus, Russia is the highest point in Europe. This climb will consist of difficult hiking and arduous glacier travel.

Check out Jordan's athlete page to read reports from his trek.

Posted: July 9^th, 2007

Team SOLE Wins Raid The North Extreme

Team SOLE's core partnership, California-based Karen Lundgren and Paul Romero, were racing in the Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert regions of British Columbia with New Zealand's Marcel Hagener (former GoLite Timberland, '05 World Champion) and Australia's Darren Clarke (long time SOLE runner). Flooding throughout northern BC, due to high snow-melt this year, caused enless headaches for organizers with last-minute route changes. The race originally programmed to take place on the mainland around Prince Rupert, ended up being switched to a two-stage competition.

Stage 1 was moved across the straight, right out to Haida Gwaii (also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) for three days of paddling, trekking and biking. Teams were then ferried back to the mainland to start Stage 2 on foot. Team SOLE was outpowered early on by the Yukon Wild team, (who are really the much feared Supplier Pipeline team that has edged out Team SOLE for the past two years, including two top 4 Primal Quest results). Co-Captain/Navigator Paul says "It was an immense amount of patience, solid navigation and 10 boat loads of teamwork that kept our team rock steady and applying pressure onto the Yukon team until they would crack from perhaps poor sleep management." Team SOLE managed a more than 4 hour lead following the first stage, plenty of time as long as the 2nd stage went smoothly.

"We kept to your own race and our own game plan for the second stage. We knew we had a good lead, but we still had to go hard and get to the finish line," said Karen. Team SOLE did better than just hold the lead, they increased it to more than 9 hours at the final finish line. It was a good race. The landscape, scenery and cultural experience sort of had the team racing in amazement the whole time. Marcel Haganer commented "this was like something I've never seen, and to race amongst this ancient society was shocking and humbling."

The Team returned to Vancouver just in time for a Canada Day on the Harbour, a most timely celebration. Now recovering back in California, the team will contemplate the rest of the '07 race schedule. Paul and Karen repack, grab Jordan and head to Russia for a trekking trip.

Posted: June 30^th, 2007

SOLE featured in The Apprentice

We're very pleased to announce that SOLE Custom Footbeds were a part of this week's episode of the Apprentice UK on the BBC. Check out the show's website and stay tuned for more updates on this.

Update: visit our Apprentice page for all the details.

Posted: May 23^rd, 2007

DK SOLE Featured In Outside Buyer's Guide

Our Dean Karnazes Signature Edition is featured in Outside Magazine's Buyer's Guide — Summer 2007 edition.

From 'The Goods: Ultrarunning' section:

“Heat-moldable, alignment-correcting footbeds add critical long-mileage support. Bonus: A portion of the proceeds go to Karno Kids, a foundation that addresses childhood obesity.”

—Lisa Jhung

Posted: April 26^th, 2007

Slim Style Reviewed in Shape Magazine

Our Slim Style custom footbed was reviewed in the May edition of Shape Magazine.

Posted: April 11^th, 2007

Baja Travesia 2007 Starts Tomorrow

The beaches are warming up, the snow is melting, and the beachfront clubs and taco stands are gearing up for the annual pilgrimage of spring breakers from all over the west to Mexico's Baja Peninsula. It is here the stage will be set for an epic 3-5 day adventure race hosted by Team SOLE from March 23rd — 27th.

Baja Travesia is more than just a race. The peninsula of Baja California is a majestic land made for adventure sports. Teams of three from all over North America will embark on an experience that subtly can be described as outrageous, large, and mind blowing.

The modalities are conventional, but with a taste of true Baja style adventure - ocean kayak on the Pacific, mountain bike in the remote Mexican Sierras, trekking in the vast and harsh desert, gigantic alpine canyoneering, and of course it wouldn't be complete without full-on desert auto rally. Oh yeah!

Baja Travesia is not only an international expedition race, it's also the finale of the 2006 Explore the West Series. Teams will be gunning to dethrone current champions Team DartNuun and race for the perpetual Explore the West Cup.

Visit www.sleepmonsters.us for race updates

Posted: March 22^nd, 2007

SOLE Custom Footbeds Donates $15,000 And Counting To Karno Kids Charity

This Fall, renowned endurance athlete Dean Karnazes completed an astounding 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days with the support of SOLE Custom Footbeds under his feet every step of the way. Now, Karnazes and SOLE have teamed up again to support and encourage America's youth to get outside and be physically active with SOLE's $15,000 contribution to Karnazes's charity, Karno Kids.

"SOLE is proud to make this first donation to such an important, worthy cause," states SOLE president and founder, Mike Baker. "Our products are designed to help people achieve a more active and healthy lifestyle and we recognize that commitment starts at an early age."

Dean Karnazes Signature Edition

SOLE's contribution to Karno Kids represents the first installment of an ongoing charitable giveback program. For every Dean Karnazes Signature Edition Footbed sold, SOLE donates $2 to Karno Kids, a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is, "to encourage, motivate, and inspire our youth to get outside and become physically active, and to restore and preserve the environment for their use and enjoyment."

The $15,000 donation represents contributions from the Dean Karnazes SOLE Footbeds sold since November 2006. Based on sales forecasts, Baker expects SOLE to donate an additional $25,000 to Karno Kids by the end of 2007.

This donation and SOLE's ongoing commitment will directly impact the lives of our youth. We have a crisis of inactivity and obesity in North America, and SOLE has taken a leadership role in helping us reverse this unfortunate trend," states Karnazes.

Designed to replace a shoe or boot's factory insole, SOLE Custom Footbeds provide comfort and support through a simple do-it-yourself heat molding process, which allows the footbed to mold to the user's unique foot shape. The Dean Karnazes Signature Edition SOLE provides heat moldable support and a custom fit, specifically designed for the demands of those who spend lengthy periods of time on their feet. The perforated EVA base enhances breathability and reduces weight, which increases endurance. anti-microbial fibers in the top sheet help control odor. Industry-leading cushioning is supplied by 1.6 millimeters of SOFTEC, a proprietary padding material.

Posted: January 22^nd, 2006

Gear Junkie On Heat Molding Insoles At Home

SOLE Slim Sport

Stephen Regenold, writer of The Gear Junkie column for eight U.S. newspapers recently tested the heat molding process of SOLE Custom Footbeds. Regenold stated, “ In my tests, the customization process -- heating the insoles, inserting them in your shoes, and stepping in -- was simple and straightforward for SOLE.” Check out his review in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Star Tribune, Billings Gazette or the Redding Record Searchlight.

Posted: January 13^th, 2006

SOLE Ultra Reviewed at backpackgeartest.org

SOLE Ultra Softec

Jennifer Koles wrote a detailed review of our SOLE Ultra Softec Custom Footbed over at backpackgeartest.org:

“In the past I did wear a custom orthotic in my footwear because my arches are somewhat collapsed and I found that they gave me better support while hiking. My custom arch supports are rigid and give me some foot discomfort while hiking, especially after long distances. I found that the SOLE footbeds provide me with excellent support and foot alignment without compromising my level of comfort.”

Posted: January 12^th, 2006

Comfy Cushions — SOLE Custom Footbeds featured in the Denver Post

SOLE Regular Softec

In today's edition of the Denver Post, Jason Blevin writes:

Ask any athlete who spends more than 40 hours a week in motion and they'll tell you the one piece of gear that makes them happiest is their custom footbeds. Those comfy cushions handle the lamentable troubles of our soles, something those flimsy footbeds that come with your sneakers simply can't do. Yes, you can pay a couple hundred for a footbed crafted by a doctor, or you can drop $40 for a somewhat identical footbed you mold in your own oven.

Sole Custom Footbeds offers a wide collection of eight footbeds (all around $40) for those with sole troubles. Highly arched, moisture-wicking dense foam with a deep heel cup can be formed to your foot in minutes after a quick bake in your home oven.

Sole provides slim, lightweight footbeds for runners and skiers and burlier footbeds for hikers.

Posted: January 8^th, 2006

Dean Karnazes Featured in January Edition of Wired Magazine

In The Perfect Human, Joshua Davis of Wired Magazine outlines 12 secrets to Dean Karnazes' success.

Posted: January 6^th, 2006

Dean Karnazes on the cover of Outside Magazine

Photo Credit: Cliff Watts

Katie Arnold — Managing Editor for Outside, caught up with Dean on race 22 of the Endurance 50 to interview him.

From the article:
“I didn't really have a five-year plan. I had a dream. So what I kind of did was just say: "If I could script my perfect life, what would it look like?"

It would be spending a lot of time with my family and my kids, doing what I love, which is exploring the limits of human endurance, pushing the envelope and being in the shape of my life, and dedicating myself wholeheartedly to my craft.”

Check out the rest of their conversation in The Dean Machine.

Posted: January 5^th, 2006

Slim Sport Reviewed at bicycling.com

Joe Lindsey from www.bicycling.com featured our Slim Sport footbeds in their Gear of the Day section. Read the review for his thoughts on customizing cycling shoes with SOLE.

Posted: December 22^nd, 2006

SOLE featured in the inaugural edition of Women's Skiing Magazine

"Supportive footbeds help align your joints, keep you balanced, and reduce fatigue. Don't have the lettuce for a custom-built pair? Try SOLE. You can mold these footbeds by yourself, at home using a toaster oven, for a fraction of the cost. The Slim Sport model, designed for low-volume footwear, is a good choice for skiers."

Women's Skiing Magazine — December 2006 Issue

Posted: December 5^th, 2006

Team SOLE celebrating victory at the Ecomotion Pro finish line

Team SOLE Wins Big In Brazil!

After racing 550km through the heart of Brazil in the 2006 Ecomotion Pro Adventure Race, Team SOLE crossed the finish line in first place. "This is a huge win for Team SOLE and we are very proud of them" says Claire Thompson, Marketing Manager for SOLE Custom Footbeds.

Ecomotion Pro started November 9th in the state of Rio De Janeiro and is part of the ARWorld Series. The race took 60 teams up to seven days to cover close to 550km through mountains, forests, beaches, lakes, and waterfalls. Disciplines included orienteering, mountain-biking, trekking, kayaking, rafting, coasteering, rappelling, climbing and the coveted zipline. A total of $60,000 US was awarded as prize money to the top eight teams. Team SOLE's cut? A cool $35G! "We've been in Brazil 5 or 6 times and Rio de Janeiro was the most beautiful. Every time we turned a corner we saw a new landscape, something unbelievable, like the jungle, rain forest, the water" said Paul Romero, team captain. Check out Team SOLE's personal account of race at www.teamsole.com.

Posted: November 18^th 2006

SOLE Teams Up With Warren Miller Ski Movies for 2006

Check out our Warren Miller feature page to learn more. For more information on how SOLE is working in ski boots, visit our Skiing page.

Posted: October 20^th, 2006