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| Industry | Footwear, Hiking, Mountain running, Snowsports |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Narciso Delladio |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 417 (2021) |
| Website | lasportiva.com |
La Sportiva is a footwear brand founded in 1928 by Narciso Delladio in Italy.
Narciso Delladio started his business by manufacturing boots and clogs for farmers and lumberjacks. In World War II, he helped to provide Italy's soldiers with custom mountaineering boots. In the 1950s, he began to make ski boots and first introduced the brand name of La Sportiva. [1]
In January 2024, it opened its first store in Boulder [2] , Colorado.[ citation needed ]
La Sportiva is a brand of footwear for mountaineering, climbing and skiing. Its products are distributed in Europe and North America. La Sportiva is known for its footwear designed for outdoor sports like climbing, running, hiking, and skiing. The company's product line includes specialized equipment for a variety of terrain, including technical rock faces. [3]
It sponsors athletes across a number of sports including mountain running, rock climbing, ice climbing, alpine climbing and skiing. La Sportiva had previously collaborated with Tommy Caldwell in the development of the TC Pro climbing shoe. This was the shoe that Caldwell used while making his ascent of the Dawn Wall [4] and by Alex Honnold for the Free Solo of El Capitan.
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwear.
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a tight fit, an asymmetrical downturn, and a sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand to the heel and the toe. Different types of shoes can be better suited for different levels of technique and routes.
A crampon is a traction device attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and icefields, ascending snow slopes, and scaling ice-covered rock.
Asics is a Japanese multinational corporation that produces sportswear. The name is an acronym for the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano. Asics is best known for its sneakers, but also produces other footwear such as sandals, as well as clothing and accessories. It is headquartered in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Hiking (walking) boots are footwear specifically designed for protecting the feet and ankles during outdoor walking activities such as hiking. They are one of the most important items of hiking gear since their quality and durability can determine a hiker's ability to walk long distances without injury. Hiking boots are constructed to provide comfort for walking considerable distances over rough terrain. Boots that protect the hiker's feet and heel are recommended. Hiking boots give ankle support and are fairly stiff. A less popular alternative is to use light trainers with thin soles. Footwear should be neither too loose nor too tight, to help prevent blisters and sore feet. Hiking socks that wick sweat from the feet, provide warmth, and cushion the feet are recommended and a thin, inner sock may also help. Most hiking boots are also designed for other outdoor activities such as backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, and hunting.
Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear and apparel company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is the third largest footwear brand in the United States.
Salomon SAS is a French sports equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Annecy, France. It was founded in 1947 by François Salomon in the heart of the French Alps and is a major brand in outdoor sports equipment. Salomon is owned by Finnish retail conglomerate Amer Sports, along with Wilson, Atomic, Precor, and Arc'teryx, among others.
Arc'teryx is a Canadian apparel company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas.
Alpina is a Slovenian footwear manufacturing company founded in 1947 after several private shoe making workshops with long tradition merged in the town of Žiri. Initially named "Žiri Shoe Factory", it was renamed "Alpina" in 1951. In 1985, the company employed almost 2,000 people. Alpina operates as a joint stock company, with approximately a thousand employees producing over 1.7 million pairs of shoes and boots each year. The greater part of production is sold abroad under their own brand name.
Nordica is an Italian manufacturing company of winter sports products, focusing on skiing. Based in Giavera del Montello, Nordica is currently a division of Tecnica Group, after it was acquired from Benetton in 2003.
Mountaineering, expedition or high altitude boots are a type of footwear used in mountain climbing. They are designed specifically for moving over harsh terrain.
Merrell is an American manufacturing company of footwear products. It was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell, and John Schweizer in 1981 as a maker of high-performance hiking boots. Since 1997, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolverine World Wide. Products currently commercialized by Merrell include hiking boots, athletic shoes, sandals, jackets, knit caps, gloves, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and socks. Other accessories include backpacks, stuff sacks, and bags.
Vibram S.p.A. is an Italian company based in Albizzate, Italy, that both manufactures and licenses the production of Vibram-branded rubber outsoles for footwear. The company is named after its founder, Vitale Bramani, who is credited with inventing the first rubber lug soles. Vibram soles were first used on mountaineering boots, replacing leather soles fitted with hobnails or steel cleats which were commonly used up until then. The soles produced by Vibram are called Vibram soles, Vibram rubber or simply Vibram.
Holubar Mountaineering, established in 1946 by Roy and Alice Holubar, designed and sold mountaineering equipment. The company pioneered the use of lightweight down sleeping bags made with nylon fabric, which became popular in the 1960s. Holubar manufactured many of its own products and offered high quality climbing and camping equipment and supplies for retail sale. Local design and manufacturing also lent itself to introducing a line of "sew-it-yourself" kits which became a popular, if short-lived, offering during the 1970s. Starting in Boulder, Colorado, the company grew to ten stores in Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and other Colorado Front Range cities and a few out-of-state locations in addition to a sizeable mail order business.
Columbia Montrail is a sub-brand of Columbia Sportswear that manufactures and distributes shoes for trail running, hiking, and general long-distance running.
Karhu is a Finnish sports equipment company, focused on running. Originally established as "Oy Urheilutarpeita" in 1916, it was renamed "Karhu" four years later. Karhu's line of products includes sneakers, t-shirts and jackets. In past years, Karhu also manufactured skis. In 2008, the company was sold to a group of investors organised under "Karhu Holding B.V.".
Altra Running, commonly known as Altra, is an American manufacturing company engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of athletic shoes for road running, trail running, and general footwear. Since 2018 Altra is owned by VF Corporation, an American global apparel and footwear company with other brands like Icebreaker, The North Face, Vans, JanSport, Eastpak and Timberland.
SCARPA is an Italian outdoor footwear company. It was founded in 1938 in Asolo by Rupert and Pietro Parisotto, and Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh. The company specialises in hiking boots, climbing shoes and mountaineering boots.
