There are other players in the grind shoe arena, e.g. Salomon. The people who put soul in the game.

So I sent them this email ...


Hi,

A little history you may already know, or not ...

Grind shoes are shoes that have plastic inserts in the soles which enable the wearer to grind on obstacles such as rails, kerbs, ledges and benches. Most grind shoes only have a 50/50 plate, i.e. a grind plate that fits under the arch of the foot and enables basic grinds like Royales and Unitys.

About 15 years ago Salomon invented the first ever grind shoe to have a sole plate; the Mr Wilson. This was a revolution in grind shoe technology as it enabled the wearer to perform much more complex and stylish tricks like Machios and Mizous. Later Salomon made a few changes to the shoe and released a second model; the X Factor. Soap shoes, the company that invented grind shoes, followed suit and started manufacturing a shoe which also featured both a 50/50 plate and a Sole plate; the Broadside.

Grind shoes with Sole plates were a total game changer. All thanks to Salomon.


Currently no grind shoes are in manufacture anywhere in the world. There is a small amount of stock of Soap shoes in a warehouse somewhere and only a couple of outlets still offer them for sale. There is even one online store in Australia where box-fresh Mr Wilsons are sold at $99 (AUS) in UK sizes 5 to 9 only - http://www.bladeschool.com.au/soap.html


I love grind shoes. I wear them whenever possible and just grind whatever I am walking past. It makes mundane walking trips to work, university, the shop etc. way more fun. Among other grind shoes, I own a used pair of Mr Wilson shoes that I bought from eBay.


Mostly I wanted to send this mail to thank Salomon for their innovation. Adding a Sole plate to a grind shoe changed the world of grind shoes. However, any information you can provide about Salomon and grind shoes whether relating to the past, present or future will be greatly appreciated. Information about how the innovation of adding a sole plate to a grind shoe came to be, does Salomon still have the molds for these shoes, what are the specific differences between the Mr Wilson and X Factor shoes, is there any possibility of a re-release maybe a short retro run to celebrate Salomon's game-changing innovation, dates the shoes were released and withdrawn, etc. etc.

Really, literally any information you can provide about Salmon and grind shoes will be considered interesting.


Thanks,

Lee

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