This new, successfully crowdfunded, company based out of my hometown of Boston, MA is betting that you, or maybe your younger friends and family members, are tired of sloshing around a ski area parking lot in your sneakers. They’re combining the style of an urban sneaker with the form and function of a hiking boot to create what Forsake CEO Jake Anderson describes as “a shoe that could handle the rugged, outdoor lifestyle while still looking good on the street.”
The co-founders, Anderson and college buddy Sam Barstow, came up with the idea after moving west and “work-cationing” at ski resorts. They noticed that their friends had problems trying to mix the style of their skate shoes with slippery snow-covered ski town parking lots. The two set out to combine a hiking boot with the proper steeze that would allow their friends to not only look good at the slope-side bar but make it home without soaking their feet or breaking an arm. While these boots will not be replacing my backpacking boots, they will get plenty of use when I’m headed to the slopes this winter or meeting up with friends downtown after a snowstorm.
Successfully funded on kickstarter.com in December of 2012, Forsake shoes just hit select retail store shelves at the beginning of August. Their entire line is also available on the company website: www.forsake.co and they are positioning their Spring ’14 line up to appear in REI and other national retail outlets.
