Vibram Expands Foothold with USA Climbing Series Sponsorship

Building on a 70-year heritage in the climbing community, Vibram, the world-leader in performance soling is sponsoring USA Climbing’s two key competition series. The American Bouldering Series and the Sport Climbing Series attract thousands of youth climbers to the sport every year.

“Bouldering and sport climbing are at the core of the Vibram experience,” says Lawrence Anastasi, Vibram USA sales and marketing manager. “And with the launch last year of our XS Grip™ climbing compound, Vibram hopes to enhance the experience for both new and experienced climbers.”

XSGrip, a substantially stickier climbing compound was developed over the course of 16 months of exhaustive lab and field-testing. It offers higher levels of grip while maintaining rigidity for edging and durability. The compound’s performance remains consistent even in extreme hot or cold climates. Both La Sportiva and SCARPA use Vibram XSGrip extensively in their collections.

The American Bouldering Series holds 130 youth and adult competitions countrywide, between October and March, 10 regionals championships in mid-January and the national championships in February. This season’s finals will be held at Thee Spot in Boulder, CO February 15-17. The Sport Climbing Series is a spring and summer series throughout the country, beginning in early March and culminating with the national championships in July.

For Vibram the sponsorship provides them with an opportunity to reach out to the climbing community through membership communiqués, booth presence, product demos, and signage at the competition regionals and finals.

“This investment enables us to continue to promote Vibram to a younger, broader audience, while maintaining our roots in the climbing community,” says Anastasi. “Additionally, it allows us to communicate the benefits of XS Grip, the new standard in climbing rubber performance, as well as strengthen partnerships with our climbing shoe customers.”

Vibram® is recognized worldwide as the leader in high performance soles for outdoor, recreational, and work footwear. Vibram soles have set the standard since Vitale Bramani created mountaineering’s first rubber lugged sole in the late 1930’s. Vibram soles have gone on to conquer Mt. Everest, K2 and a host of the world’s tallest peaks. Today, the company works with premium brands including Danner, La Sportiva, Lowa, Merrell, Red Wing, SCARPA, The North Face, Timberland, Vasque, Wolverine and many more. For further information, visit www.vibram.com.