From GCS To ACS+: Diving Into the Salomon Archives

Looking back to 2005, when adventure shoes turned to lightness, inspiring footwear designers 20 years later.

The history of Salomon sneakers is anchored deep in its performance footwear range. The first shoe that caught the attention of Guillaume Steinmetz, one of the founders of The Broken Arm, was the very technical, snow-specific Snowcross, a derivate of the Speedcross made for icy terrain. Since then, shoes like the XT-6, originally made for long-distance trail running, or the RX Moc, designed for post-effort recovery effort, have met the same fate: being recognized for their functional utility, and desired for their unique, technical designs.

ADVENTURE RACING AND THE BIRTH OF THE “ATHLETIC OUTDOOR”

In the 90s and early 2000s, adventure racing had found its popularity and pushed more and more people to approach outdoor sports with a competitive mindset. Multisport events like the Raid Gauloises and the Cross Adventure included everything from hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, swimming and even horse riding, gathering hundreds of adventurers, eager to test their outdoor skills over several days. The Cross Adventure had over 600 different events in 2003 and 2004, contributing to spread this vision of outdoor sports as a competition.

The idea of “athletic outdoor” was born, and with it came a new aesthetic, distancing itself from heavy-loaded adventurers with chunky, high-top hiking shoes, rather going for a look that was borrowed from marathon runners, with lightweight, fitted clothing (the “lycra” style) and lighter shoes that still offered comfort and protection, without feeling like you were anchored down to the ground.

“The shoes needed to be robust and grippy, and all of a sudden, they had to be lightweight and runnable,” remembers Jean-Noël Thevenoud, in charge of the prototype workshop at Salomon. "Salomon was quick to become the staple brand for these adventure shoes for any terrain, any conditions, and over a long period of time."

The first Salomon shoe designed for adventure racing, the XA Raid Race, came out in 2001, followed by the XA Pro a year later, which is still a beloved shoe for hiking and trail running, with its 9ᵗʰ iteration coming out this year, as well as the original XA Pro being revisited for the urban consumer. “Minimalism was coming to trail-running, with shoes under 300g that could still last for over 200km,” explains Frédéric Crétinon, Manager of Footwear R&D.

But adventure racing was only ever a niche practice, requiring loads of gear and mostly attended by sponsored athletes. “We asked ourselves, what is the most accessible sport in adventure racing, that is the easiest to engage with and that only requires very minimal gear? The answer was clear: all you needed to go running was a good pair of shoes," explains Jean-Luc Diard, Salomon’s CEO from 1998 to 2007.

THE GROUND CONTROL SYSTEM, ALSO KNOWN AS THE GCS

It is in this rapidly evolving era of lightweight, runnable footwear that the GCS Pro was brought to the market in 2005, following 8 years of rapid expansion for the footwear department at Salomon, fueled by the Adidas ownership at the time. What made the GCS popular laid in its technical benefits: advanced cushioning thanks to the Ground Control System, an Adidas-owned technology which gave the name to the shoe; great breathability thanks to the mesh fabric; and a solid grip for running in any conditions. But what made this shoe really special was its radical design, born from the mind of designer Christian Tresser.

“Adventure racing/trail was definitely the inspiration for the GCS after understanding the feedback and insights from Salomon athletes,” explains Christian. “Adidas had a trail running shoe at this time. I thought of some previous upper technology and features, and some details of Salomon's existing technology from a range of previous trail running shoes."

“I always try to look at the end goal of a design to fully understand the story. I don't follow trends or other artists/designers. I approach my designs by listening to my inner voice and the gut feelings that come from understanding the vision for a project. Then I tap into my experience after my days in art school, past jobs, experience working for corporate brands, the resources available, and the project timelines. The metal eyelets on the GCS were inspired by the shape of a metal gas tank on a motorcycle. My father and brother were motorcycle racers and my dad owned an auto body shop where I worked, especially while I was in art school. For the “cage” wrapping the mid-foot, I wanted it to look like a "rib cage", which implied breathability.”

The shoe was deemed “the ultimate running shoe for off-trail athletes seeking stability, comfort, and shock absorption” by Salomon. In 2005, Outside Magazine called it “one of the most stable shoes we have ever used”, and it even went to win the Backpacker Editor’s Choice award that year.

“I am very thankful I had people at this time who trusted my vision and my process when I was finding the "path" toward making this adventure shoe,” shares Christian. “Having this trust and confidence with me, was and still is the best first step for me to start a design.”

FINDING INSPIRATION IN THE PAST TO SHAPE THE PRESENT

The reason Salomon shoes first started to be used in an urban context was for their technical benefits: the comfort and fit created by the SensiFit technology, the grip of the Contagrip outsole as well as the stability brought buy the chassis technology. But the radical, almost aggressive look of the XT-6 also helped in catapulting these shoes from the Chamonix trails to the fashion runways in Milan, Paris and New York.

In an effort to bring back more iconic silhouettes, the Sportstyle team selected a few models, digging in the early 2000s “athletic outdoor” era. The XA Raid Wind got an update, the iconic Speedcross saw its latest versions revisited for collaborations (AVNIER, Palace, BBS, CDG, Ranra, District Vision, MM6) and in-range sneakers, and the XT-4 and XT-6, two iterations of the same ultra trail running shoe, are now two of the best sellers of the brand.

“Salomon archives retrace the history of Salomon and highlight the constant focus on design and aesthetic even back in the 2000s,” shares Maïna Souviron, Product Line Manager for Salomon Sportstyle. “This gives credibility and legitimacy to our sneakers. Revamping the XA Raid Race with the Raid Wind paid homage to that adventure racing era. The XA Pro 1 and XT Quest revisit the backpacking and robust side of the brand.”

Then came the ACS Pro ADVANCED. This was a shot at creating a very different sneaker that had the potential to become its own “thing”.

“We were looking for a more aggressive silhouette, looking outside of traditional Salomon trail-running silhouettes. The GCS had specific features like mesh fabric and stitching, a different kind of SensiFit with the molded TPU cage. It also had that retro vibe that we really liked!” says Maïna.

The ACS Pro was also offered in two bright and bold colorways as part of the critically acclaimed L’Art de L’Automobile collab, finding inspiration in Japanese motorbikes. “[Arthur] put some really crazy colors and clever inspiration on there and remixed it without changing what made it dope in the first place,” says Bryan Diaz, admirative of the pair and of the collab.

15 years have passed between the creation of the GCS and the ACS Pro. But Salomon was not going to wait another 15 years to update the ACS Pro. Shortly after came the ACS+, a modernized version of the ACS meant to be more accessible.