Places

Salewa: From the Dolomites with Love

From their 50-metre high ‘rock crystal’ HQ in the heart of the Dolomites, the Salewa team have a unique vantage point on the world. Endless alpine inspiration lays on the doorstep of these mountaineers with a reputation for style, performance and quality.

“Mountains are a place where you express your true self,” says Salewa in its manifesto.

“They are a constant call for purity, something you just can‘t dodge. Here we join experience and imagination, blend tradition and innovation to engineer equipment intended to change the game.”

Salewa Lite Train K

The Dolomites are a stretch of mountains that rest within the Southern Limestone Alps. 

Comprising 22 major peaks (including 20 that are 3,000m+), the rocky range – which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009 thanks to its natural beauty and importance to science – is known for its rich history and epic alte vie or high paths.

Feeding the need for exploration from their Bolzano base, Salewa are no strangers to the rugged terrains of north east Italy. Their #PureMountain project has seen adventurers across the globe take on extremes. More specifically, they invited Outsider magazine’s Roisin Finlay (@outsider_editor) to join them on a grand hike into the depths of the Dolomites.  

“Bottom line, if you love to hike or simply to immerse yourself in nature, this region is a must visit,” says Roisin. “The eight official Alta Vias are merely the tip of the iceberg here in this wonderful region. There are thousands of well-marked routes to choose from.”

“From the moon to Middle Earth, the landscape was ever-changing and spellbinding as we wandered…”

“Amongst the highlights of this Salewa route were our 5am ascent of Seekofel/Croda del Becco in time for a Technicolor sunrise, scoffing delicious cheeses, meats and sweet pickled onions at the Capanna Fassa hut on the summit of Piz Boé (3,152m), the dizzying and thigh-busting Via ferrata delle Mesules (see below), being sprayed by ice cold water as we walked behind a pristine waterfall in the Fanes Valley and the 11am shots of homemade schnapps served up by the bearded owner of Rossalm hut…” 

The Dolomites are more than mountains, they’re magic.

“Places don‘t belong to people: people belong to places, and we belong to the Dolomites.”

The vast region is alive with culture, wildlife and surprises. It’s enough to inspire just about anyone. But for Salewa, and their high performance outdoor products, it was never about inspiration—it’s about more than that, they belong to the Dolomites. 

“We were born as mountaineers looking for something different. We strived for better equipment – and so we started making our own,” says Salewa. “Times have changed, and so have the needs of mountaineers. But our passion is the same.”

Salewa and Michelin are proud partners in the pursuit of premium performance and innovation in outdoor footwear. Combining mountaineering expertise with technical soles born from more than a hundred years of rubber compound and tread development, the partnership takes technical footwear to new heights. Find out more about Soles By Michelin here.