Stuff We Like: Forsake

My days follow a fairly standard routine: car to the gnar to the bar. It?s a demanding schedule, and finding technical and stylish footwear that keeps up is difficult. I?m a one-pair-of-shoes sort of guy?meaning my kicks must withstand muddy ski-area parking lots, Front Range trailheads, and discoth�ques with equal panache. Then I discovered Forsake, a new footwear-startup created by college buddies Jake Anderson and Sam Barstow. Forsake builds shoes with my exact conundrum in mind. But there?s one catch: The final retail product doesn?t fully exist yet. For the past two years, Anderson and Barstow have designed and prototyped their vision of the perfect shoe?a stylish yet technical high-top. The most recent models, Hiker, Plot, and Thurston, incorporate durable EVA sole materials, a waterproof and breathable membrane, and a slick mountain-savvy-dive-bar-patron aesthetic. With production-ready samples in hand, Anderson and Barstow looked to Kickstarter for crowd-sourced funding to make Forsake a reality, but their project goal fell short last month. However, with an overwhelming positive response to the shoes, they are pursuing other funding for a Spring 2013 launch. On paper, Foresake makes my perfect shoe, but I wanted to log some foot time to be sure. After a few emails, the guys sent me one of the few-available prototypes of the Pilot. Two weeks worth of mischief later, I can?t be more stoked on these sneakers. They?re comfortable, functional, and damn good-looking. They?ve got equal parts office, outdoor, and barstool steeze. They?ve survived sudden spring downpours, long bike rides, and more than a few dribbles of tzatziki sauce from post-bar gyros. I?d still use a technical hiking boot for big excursions, but the Pilot covers everything else. ?We're working hard to make Forsake happen because we really believe in its potential. We want the shoes for ourselves,? says Barstow. ?The name came from ?For Sam and Jake.? We see ourselves as our first customers.? Mark me down as future customer number three. Goodbye soggy skate shoes. Follow the progress of Forsake on Facebook. Also, check out Forsake?s entire line at their website.

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