If you're heading into the mountains, you need good shoes. LOWA stands for high-quality mountain boots like no other brand. The company can look back on 90 years of experience - but what new products can you discover at Outdoor? Join our presenter Petra Nérette on a visit to the LOWA stand in Friedrichshafen.
Petra Nérette: Here we are in front of the LOWA classics. Just as you would imagine them. Markus Strefling: Correct, yes. These are the shoes we started with. Mountain boots, sturdy shoes with stability. In particular, our Mauria. A classic mountaineering boot with a Vibra base and nubuck leather, a material that is robust, offers a great fit and, combined with this rubber outsole, has a very good grip. A shoe with which you can go into the mountains, where you can climb the peaks of this world up to 3,000 meters. Not Mount Everest, of course. Petra Nérette: And classic means you walk for 5, 6 or 7 hours and then your feet start to hurt. Have you developed something in the shoe that makes it easier on the knees and feet? Markus Strefling: We have over 90 years of experience in shoe construction and have constantly improved - in other words, the fit has been adapted. There are special materials in here that offer more comfort. We have added a spoiler at the back, which offers more comfort at the heel and calf. A very nice lacing holds the foot perfectly and offers more comfort. After 6 hours you should have no problems at all with this shoe because it is so well thought out that it fits perfectly. Petra Nérette: Of course, we have a lot of shoe manufacturers at this big outdoor trade fair. What makes this Lowa shoe different from all the others? Markus Strefling: Firstly, the fact that we manufacture this shoe in Germany, it says Made in Germany and all our products come from Europe. We don't have any Far East production, which makes our range special, because we pay a lot of attention to quality and fit. We have over 90 years of experience in shoemaking, which not all shoemakers can boast, which is why we are convinced that we know what we are doing and that we are bringing the right product to the market.
Petra Nérette: That's more of a classic mountain boot. Is there also a fashion trend? Markus Strefling: Not necessarily a fashion trend per se, but there is a trend towards more lightness. We have also made a new product here that has been trimmed down purely to textile. We no longer use leather, which reduces the weight of the shoe even further, but it has the same attributes as a mountaineering boot. The same strength and no metal eyelets, everything is more minimalist. But it should appeal to customers who are looking for a very light shoe and need strength. Petra Nérette: If I want to go up the mountain, is the textile version just as good as the leather one? Markus Strefling: As I said, it's a bit more slimmed down and you have to know exactly where you want to go. The sole of the textile version is lighter, which means it has fewer lugs and is therefore not suitable for extremely rough terrain. This means that customers can decide for themselves which direction they want to take. Petra Nérette: Yes, it really is a lot lighter, I would like to try it out. Great, thank you very much, I'll have a look around and see you later.