The story of the lugsole

From waffle-stompers to high fashion, hiking boots have come a long way--you will too, with the right boot for the right job

By Jane Simpson

As a Wilderness Travel Course (WTC) student in 2000, I was enough of a fashionista and Sierra Club newbie to wonder at the cryptic acronyms and abbreviations in the Schedule of Activities. I especially wondered at these ugly-sounding “lugsoles” we were asked to bring with our two liters of water and lunch.

The dictionary defines lug as the protruding part of an object, from the verb to lug (to pull or carry), and sole as the bottom of a shoe. Put it all together and you have lugsoles—footwear with protrusions or lugs.

There was a time when lug-soled boots were dismissed as “waffle-stompers.” More recently, the treaded sole has attained the heights of fashion. One thing is for certain, a sole with lugs provides better traction and support for hiking than those without. But there are lugs and then there is Vibram.

Rubber lugsoles were born in the late 1930s when Italian alpinist and footwear visionary Vitali Bramani produced his first patented rubber lugged soles with the backing of the Pirelli Tire Company. Bramani saw a need for better mountaineering footwear when six of his climber pals perished on Mt. Rasica, presumably wearing the older hobnail-style boot, which featured metal cleats. Unfortunately, the legendary George Mallory wore such hobnailed boots on his last Everest climb in 1924.

Bramani’s genius was to create a unique tread-pattern from rubber. He used Charles Goodyear’s patented Vulcanized Rubber Technology, a process by which the rubber is made water- and winter-proof.

In 1954, an unparalled marketing opportunity appeared when six types of Vibram soles accompanied the Italian team responsible for the first ascent of K2.

While most of us are not scheduled to climb Everest anytime soon, the Vibram-type sole has permeated the hiking world since the ‘50s. In the first editions of Wilderness Press’s guidebook Sierra South (1968), authors Karl Schwenke and Thomas Winnett noted, "Leather boots six to eight inches high with Vibram lug soles are, by consensus, the choice for the rugged Sierra trails."

Our own WTC handbook calls for boots that are “six to eight inches high, (with) lug soles.” While soles are not the only consideration when looking for a boot, one thing is for sure—athletic shoes will not get you to snow camp.

Today, there are so many types of lugged sole boots and companies making them that it’s easy to be confused. Hiking? Fusion? Backpacking? Alpine? All boots are not created equal. Decide what kind of hiking or outing you want to do and don’t be guided by fashion. La Sportiva Makalu’s are overkill for day hikes and most backpacking situations on trail, but they are great for mountaineering. They are also great for producing monster blisters.

For the last 50 years, Vibram and lugsoles have been practically synonymous. Other companies now have their own lug sole designs, but Vibram has the best backstory and possibly the best product.

The next time you grab your lunch and two liters, check out your soles and the tread for signs of wear. Many shoes allow you to replace that sole. And when you next head out to “trust your boots” on rocky terrain, you can thank the Italians for perfecting that tread that lets you stick to that friction slab.

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