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Last year, out of nowhere, entered Montreal-based Norda into the trail running scene. Founded by a husband and wife team with a couple other employees to help with design and development, they released their first shoe, the Norda 001 to wide acclaim.
The shoe was sturdy as a steel tank, featuring a virtually indestructible Dyneema upper (a material that actually is 15x stronger than steel at the same weight), in addition to a gnarly Vibram Mega Grip outsole.
It was also a shoe that was surprisingly capable on the roads; in fact, it was one of the best road to trail shoes we’d ever run in. This was no coincidence; based in Montreal, the brand wanted a shoe that could transition from a place in the city to the trails of Mount Royal Park. Once on the trails, the shoe excelled as well, with that aforementioned Vibram outsole that could take on just about any surface.
Though we wished there was a bit more structure around the heel collar, we loved the overall design of the shoe and thought it was a stellar effort for an initial offering. Since then, Norda has released several colorways (all have been drool-worthy) before their most recent one, a collaboration with Canadian explorer, ultrarunner, and adventurer Ray Zahab.
Zahab has run 17,000+ km across the world’s deserts, and completed multiple unsupported expeditions in some of the coldest places on the planet. So it would only make sense that the colorway reflects his accomplishments, from the blue ice of the Arctic to the orange of the Namib Desert.
New to this edition is a more sustainable version of Dyneema used in the upper. It is now 100% sustainably made with bio-based Dyneema and recycled Cordura® nylon.
Other features include:
The Norda 001 RZ is available now for $285 US. You can pick it up by using the shop link below.
Shop Norda 001 RZ
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It certainly is a stunner and dyneema isn’t cheap…but $285? Feels so out of reach. Worth it for this price?
I’ve seen a bunch of runners say they’ve hit 800-1000 miles in this shoe and they keep selling out, so it appears the price is right.
Most comfortable running shoe I’ve ever owned. I wear both the 001 and 002 to work every day and wash them constantly (and carefully) for presentation. I’m obsessed with these shoes lol
It’s a gem of a shoe, one of my most favorite of all-time.