adidas' Climbing Samba Reaches a New Peak

adidas doesn't really have a lot of climbing up the ranks to do. Especially as it relates to the Samba, which has more than established itself in the sneaker hall of fame.

Still, the most famous flat sneaker to ever do it is upping the ante and searching for new peaks. Literally.

The adidas Samba Five Ten sneaker reimagines the simple soccer shoe as a bona fide climbing shoe.

For the most part, the climbing-friendly Samba keeps the same stylistic mannerisms as its predecessor, including the suede T-toe overlay, white Three Stripes, and "Samba" branding at the heel.

The great switch-up comes at the outsole, where instead of the flat rubber outsole the Samba is famous for, the Five Ten wears a curved, high-friction outsole designed for gripping and scaling, very important things when trying to climb a mountain, if you didn't know.z

Now, unlike previous Samba reconfigurations that come by way of official collabs, adidas actually acquired Five Ten, a storied outdoor footwear brand known for its "sticky rubber" rock climbing shoes, in 2011. This procurement was part of adidas' concentrated efforts to expand its footprint in the technical outdoor market.

As history has proven, adidas is at its best with a little help from its friends. Why not bring those talents in-house?

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