If you’re ever looking for mental footwear, both in technical and aesthetic regards, then simply turn your head in the direction of Merrell 1TRL. The Merrell offshoot takes everything great about the main line and reimagines it in a much more conceptual, borderline futuristic kind of way. The line houses everything from woven slip-ons to hairy suede low hiking shoes.
But as much as we love how weird and wonderful Merrell 1TRL can get, sometimes we find ourselves yearning for something a little less performance art and a bit more performance – that’s exactly where the Agility Peak comes into the picture.
The Agility Peak is Merrell 1TRL’s off-road trail running monster. It’s a silhouette that has gained a cult following over the years since its release, largely thanks to its sprawling number of iterations – including a wildly fantastic GORE-TEX version designed for fishing.
But as of last week, the past is the past, and the future is now. Merrell 1TRL have just released the sixth iteration of the Agility Peak, and it might well be their best effort yet…
Engineered to be the most dependable tool in your arsenal (in what is arguably the most unpredictable sport going), the Agility Peak 6 doubles down on energy return, stability and outright traction for long miles spent on mud, grit, rivers and gravel. The upper arrives in a mix of mesh and synthetic materials, reinforced with TPU and 3D-printed overlays in high-stress zones for added abrasion resistance.
There’s a bellowed tongue to keep rogue pebbles where they belong, and underfoot things get properly serious. A forefoot rock plate shields you from whatever jagged nonsense the ground throws up, while a FloatPro midsole is tuned for responsive energy return. FlexConnect technology keeps the ride stable without feeling stiff, and it all sits atop a Vibram MegaGrip outsole. Now that might just sound like a load of technical codswallop (which it is), but all you need to know is that technical codswallop is all working for a single shared purpose – to keep you from going arse over tit on the trails.
And to mark the launch, Merrell 1TRL have teamed up with Knees Up, a London-based concept space, to produce the campaign, titled SIGNALS. Which documents a lone runner moving in sync with the Lake District’s landscape, unbothered by shifting ground underfoot.
All in all, it’s another great addition in a lineage of great iterations. Long live the Agility Peak!
Grab your pair of Agility Peak 6 from Merrell 1TRL
