norda Officially Debuts Its Long-Awaited 005 Sneaker
Presented via an immersive installation at UTMB in Chamonix, the 005 is billed as the “ultimate trail running super shoe.”
Update: After a fitting on-trail debut at the Hardrock 100 ultramarathon followed by weeks of teasers and speculation, norda has officially unveiled the 005, a shoe the brand bills as the “ultimate trail running super shoe.” Debuted during the Chamonix leg of the UTMB trail race series — essentially the Paris Fashion Week of new products for the trail running world — the 005 is, to date, the pinnacle expression of norda. “norda’s constant strive to create the most dynamic and responsive running shoes has led to it being the first brand ever to bring three incredible component brands together, Dyneema, Vibram and now Arnitel, creating the lightest, fastest, most stable trail shoe ever made,” said Nick Martire, the brand’s co-founder and CEO.
Any norda acolyte is familiar with the first duo of materials, as both Vibram and Dyneema have played a key role in the brand’s previous three releases, the 001, 002 and 003 (if you notice that there’s a number missing, fear not: the yet-to-release 004 has been rumored to be a recovery-style shoe). Here, the 005 uses an updated iteration of norda’s proprietary bio-based Dyneema blend, as do the laces, making for a lightweight, water-resistant, breathable and endlessly durable cocoon for the top half of the foot. Vibram returns on the outsole, with a new Megagrip Elite rubber soleplate configuration. The shoe is ultra-lightweight too — weighing in at just 211g for a men’s size 8.5 and 177g for a women’s size 8, the 005 is the lightest, full-stack trail running super-shoe ever made — but the biggest technical innovation on the 005 is its midsole.
Where norda’s past midsoles used a custom Vibram SLE foam, the 005 brings Arnitel, a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPC) material into the mix. “In creating the norda™ 005 our goal was simple — to find the most advanced midsole foam for trail [running] that combined the highest resiliency possible, yet performed and lasted 5-10x longer than other super foams,” notes Martire. Like norda’s other releases, the shoe’s sustainability comes from both its bio-based construction and the high quality of its materials. “If you run as much as we do, you’re burning through multiple pairs of shoes a year. It doesn’t matter if they’re ‘sustainable’ because you’re continuously buying new products and starting that cycle over and over again,” norda lead designer Louis-Martin Tremblay told Hypebeast in a 2022 interview. “Making a shoe that’s durable and sustainable is a lot better than a shoe that’s sustainable but will get destroyed in three months.”
norda’s elite 665 team of Arden Young, Matt Seidel, Jason Schlarb, and Kelsey Hogan took to the UTMB in the 005 this week, and the shoe was on display at a pop-up in Chamonix’s Sanglard Sports store throughout the week as well, with the brand also teasing a collaboration with Soar in an Instagram post.
A retail release for the norda 005 will go down in the spring of 2025, and interested parties can head to the norda webstore to register for more information when it’s available.
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Update: norda’s had a busy month as it brought forth several looks featuring the 001 and 002 for Fall/Winter 2024. To top it all off, its newest silhouette will be officially revealed next week. Teased previously, and discussed below, we now know that the new model is the norda 005 — which the brand boasts is “the lightest, fastest and most stable shoe ever crafted for trail running.” For those eager to pick up the race day runner, it is scheduled to debut on August 27 at 7am EDT via Sanglard Sports over in Chamonix, France. Stay tuned for updates, including global release details and a closer look at the new design.
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Original Story: On Saturday, Montreal-based running company norda offered a sly first look at an unreleased trail shoe that could potentially be the brand’s 004 or 005 model.
The brand took to Instagram to congratulate Jason Schlarb, one of its elite 665 runners, on finishing third in the Hardrock 100, a 100-mile “ultramarathon” with 66,000 feet of elevation change. In the slideshow, Schlarb is seen wearing the unreleased shoe while competing in the race, though norda makes no mention of its presence.
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Coming in a neutral color palette, the sturdy shoe is evidently equipped to take on extreme conditions. The design is most similar to the norda 001, with a lace-up construction, sleek composition and a lightweight collar. However, the design boasts a textural upper construction that appears a bit heavier than that on the 001, and its outsole and midsole are much larger, too.
At the time of writing, norda has not disclosed the shoe’s official title, price, tech specs or release date, though more information is likely to surface soon. In the meantime, take a first look at the brand’s latest silhouette in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for updates as they become available.
