Icebug steps into the skyrunning scene

Lightweight, sustainability and super traction – those are the main features for Icebug Capra RB9X. The shoe is made in collaboration with skyrunning world champion Tove Alexandersson and is one of the corner stones in Icebug’s brand new SS20 collection.

Tove Alexandersson has been a loyal Icebug ambassador for several years. She is the best orienteer in the world with a track record of 7 gold medals from the world championships and 23 world cup victories. For the last years, Tove Alexandersson has also started to compete in skyrunning, which was an immediate success. She won her first skyrunning race in 2017, and last year she managed to win the sky running world championships.

After the race, she contacted Icebug with a brief for a new type of shoe that Icebug never been producing before.

– I wanted a competitive skyrunning shoe, with the right features needed to defend my world champion title. The shoes need to have the right features; lightweight yet well-protected and cushioned enough for more than 3 hours of running, says Tove Alexandersson.

– It’s also important with multi-directional traction. A skyrunning shoe must be able to handle steep uphill climbs as well as fast downhill sprints with sharp turns.

Icebug’s design department was happy to face the challenge and developed a shoe that met Tove’s criteria.

– We needed this type of shoe in our assortment. Capra has the right balance between lightweight and comfort, it has the traction needed to become a skyrunning world champion and of course it’s a machine in the forest. A great thing about Capra is also that we managed to put 15 percent recycled rubber in the outsole without losing any performance, says Karin Möller, creative director and head of design at Icebug.

The design of the new shoe has some subtle hints about what it’s made for. The outsole has the design of the height curves from the 5 highest peaks in Kinlochleven, where Tove Alexandersson became a skyrunning world champion for the first time. The bluesign®-certified upper is made by 100% recycled PET polyester and has a print with distant mountains.

– We’re always striving for a Scandinavian, minimalistic look. With Capra, we tried to create the feeling of those rainy nights in foggy mountains, says Karin Möller at Icebug.

Tove Alexandersson has been running with the prototype shoe for over six months now, and she’s not humble about her opinion:

– This is my new favorite shoe! The traction is outstanding, and I use it almost every day. Capra is an adventure shoe that is able to beat anything. It’s great for those days when you head out into the forest or mountains and don’t really know what’s waiting out there. Either you’re running gravel roads or technical off-trail, Capra is the shoe to have.

Icebug Capra RB9X will be available in stores SS20.