Technology Overview

Snake Plate™

For too long, outdoor athletes have shared one lament: a forefoot plate protects the foot, but there are endeavors that call for a greater feel for the trail. Can't protection and flexibility peacefully coexist? Now, finally, they can, and The North Face Snake Plate™ makes it possible. The patent-pending Snake Plate™ consists of a forefoot plate that wind back and forth between the medial and lateral sides of the foot. Because it is not one solid element, it is not as uncompromisingly rigid from side to side and front to back. The result is a forefoot plate that allows the foot to do what it is physiologically designed to do: flex, bend, and contort to changing terrain. At the same time, the Snake Plate™ delivers rigidity where and when it is still needed.

The thickness, composition and size of the Snake Plate™ vary from style to style as appropriate. For example, a thicker, more rigid Snake Plate™ addresses the technical, ever-changing demands of a mountain run. A thinner, more flexible Snake Plate™ reconciles flexibility with a decreased demand for protection while on smoother dirt paths.

On the trails, The North Face Snake Plate™ ushers in a futuristic new era where underfoot protection and forefoot flexibility are no longer an odd couple.