Quechua took us to Chamonix to discover the new MH900 Two days of hiking, lunches inspired by the textures of the mountains, and a visit to the Decathlon mountain store
The MH900, new hiking shoes from Quechua, were designed at the foot of Mont Blanc. In Chamonix, in the heart of the French Alps, Decathlon’s design team works behind the Mountain Store of the brand, immersed in nature and surrounded by the same mountains that inspire research and technical innovation. Together with Decathlon, we explored this very nature wearing the MH900, a model that brings together all the years of experience in designing trekking shoes by the brand, now approaching 40.
Our journey with Quechua began right at Decathlon’s Mountain Store. Here we had the opportunity to discover up close the spaces where the brand’s new outdoor products are conceived, developed, and tested. Among the most impressive technologies was a robot capable of simulating walking in water, used to monitor the resistance and performance of the sneakers in real conditions, as well as 3D printers that, at that moment, were producing small representations of QUECH-01, a playful robotic prototype featured in the presentation film of the new MH900. After meeting the design team and exchanging a few words with representatives of Vibram, a long-standing brand partner, our adventure began.
Walking in the French Alps, stepping on slippery rocks, stretches of pine needles and soil, we were able to test firsthand the characteristics of the MH900: grip, waterproofing, and foot protection. As the designers at the Mountain Store explained to us and as the advertisement featuring the little QUECH-01 also shows, at Decathlon’s production hub the greatest tests are not performed by machines, but by real people, engineers and athletes who are asked to test the brand’s sneakers and apparel during their hikes.
Our immersive experience with the MH900 by Quechua reached its expressive peak at the end of the ascent, when we were welcomed into a small shelter to literally taste the land we had just walked on. Ekow Studio, led by local food designer Perrine Bettin, together with Japanese chef Takeshi Minagawa, created a menu that reflects the textures and flavors of the nature of Chamonix: from the softness and humidity of moss, reinterpreted as a slightly bitter babà of the place, to an herbal infusion made with mountain soil.
Identifying with the shoes that accompanied us through the rain up to the shelter, we could only feel a sense of gratitude toward everyone who contributed to ensuring the waterproofing and grip of the MH900: not machines, but people.
