Most brands go to great lengths to make sure your new sneakers look, well, new. But lately, we’ve seen our fair share of brands taking it back to the 2000s trend of distressing everything before it ever leaves the factory floor. And Salomon is now joining in on the action. The French outfit taking over fashion has just roughed up four of its silhouettes to resemble climbing gear that’s already survived a few decades in the Alps. Say hello to the Expedition Pack.
Wear and Tear as a Design Language
The collection includes split suede with deliberately ragged edges, patinated Bitter Chocolate browns, and black-and-yellow laces twisted up like climbing rope. Everything is designed as a nod to mountaineering equipment from the ’80s and ’90s.
Salomon’s own copy calls it the “golden era of mountaineering,” and honestly, they did a solid job executing here.
Four Shoes, One Mountain
The XT-Quest is the busiest of the bunch, stacking earthy textile panels under sweeping suede with a purple stripe cutting across the midsole. The X-Alp leans hardest into actual climbing territory, wrapping a purple cord clean around its upper behind a black toe rand.
The XT-Whisper translates the look onto a compact ripstop runner with intentionally rough-cut suede overlays. And the Snowclog OG strips the concept to a laceless suede slip-on riding on almost comically aggressive lugs. Three wear “Black/Bitter Chocolate/Concord Grape,” while the clog swaps in “Beach Ball” accents.
Still Salomon Under the Suede
Now, the distressing is absolutely nothing more than a retro-vintage larp, but, at the end of the day, it’s still a Salomon silhouette. The XT-Quest rides on Salomon’s 4D Advanced Chassis, the XT-Whisper gets ACS stability and deep-lugged Mud Contagrip, the X-Alp runs an edging-focused chassis borrowed from approach-shoe thinking, and the clog sits on recyclable infiniFOAM.
Spec Sheet
Collection: Salomon Expedition Pack
Models: XT-Quest, X-Alp, XT-Whisper, Snowclog OG
Colorways: Black / Bitter Chocolate / Concord Grape (XT-Quest, X-Alp, XT-Whisper); Black / Bitter Chocolate / Beach Ball (Snowclog OG)
Upper Materials: Split-suede leather, ripstop, mesh, textile
Outsole: Contagrip rubber (All-Terrain or Mud, by model)
Chassis: 4D advancedCHASSIS (XT-Quest), agileCHASSIS (XT-Whisper), edgingCHASSIS (X-Alp)
Weight: 10 oz (XT-Whisper) to 1 lb, 5 oz (XT-Quest)
Pricing: $125 – $200
Release Date: October 23, 2026 (X-Alp & XT-Quest)
Pricing & Availability
The Snowclog OG ($125) and XT-Whisper ($150) are available now, while the $200 X-Alp and XT-Quest are counting down to an October 23 drop. Head over to Salomon’s website to grab a pair.
Recap
Salomon Expedition Pack
Salomon pre-distresses four of its trail silhouettes with patinated suede and rope-style laces to channel climbing gear from the ’80s and ’90s.
