A key feature of Contact shoes is their 2.5 mm thin vulcanized rubber sole, providing maximum ground feel. It’s highly flexible, non-slip, and durable. When wearing Contact shoes, you won’t feel tiny sharp stones, and your feet will hug the surface with every step, similar to walking barefoot.
It has a 15 mm high rim around the feet, making it suitable for wearing on wet surfaces as it prevents direct contact of the upper with the ground. It is made of very soft vulcanized rubber without an edge, so it can adapt to the width of your foot, meaning you don’t have to worry as much about every millimeter of width.
All Proalp Contact base soles can be fitted with an additional 5 mm sole with a rugged tread pattern. With the S1 model, both are included as standard, and in the online store you can choose the shoes with the sole that suits you. The C2, S2, and S11 models come standard with a rugged tread sole, but you can also order the thinner base sole. The B1 and C1 models are made as standard with a thin base sole.
When you put on Contact shoes with a rugged tread, the ground feel is slightly reduced. However, the rugged sole maintains flexibility and provides excellent grip on uneven surfaces, making them suitable for hiking. They are perfect for both very demanding barefoot hikers and beginners; everyone can adjust the length and difficulty of their hiking tours to their abilities and ambitions.
We also highly recommend low-cut barefoot shoes with a coarse tread to anyone who is not used to walking in barefoot shoes and wants footwear that protects their feet a bit more than a basic thin barefoot sole. With Contact S1 and Contact S11 barefoot shoes with a coarse tread, you will gradually get used to barefoot footwear and either continue with thinner soles or happily stick with these.
