When it comes to trail shoes, there are three things on everyone鈥檚 wish list: protection, cushion, and light weight. Most runners will tell you that you can only pick two. But thanks to some significant materials updates and smart new details, the defies conventional wisdom. Now, trail runners really can have it all.

Since its 2001 debut, the Lone Peak has been one of Altra鈥檚 most popular shoes鈥攅specially among thru-hikers and ultra-distance trail runners鈥攚ith a growing following of everyday adventurers. And with each update, it just seems to get better. But while the differences between the Lone Peak 7 and Lone Peak 8 were fairly subtle, the Lone Peak 9 (which comes in and versions) represents a significant upgrade. Paralleling the exciting release is the Lone Peak 9+ with Vibram庐 grip for next-level traction on the trail; updated low, mid, and high styles; and waterproof versions.

The new Lone Peak 9 starts by handily addressing a few community-requested updates. The first: enhanced durability. Altra meticulously designed the new shoe to last even longer than the already hard-wearing previous version. Additions include a more durable ripstop mesh made of 100 percent recycled polyester, as well as an extended rand that boosts protection around the sides of the forefoot. Altra also completely ditched the stitching around the instep and midfoot. Instead, the gridded overlay is now fused directly to the upper. The result is a sleek outer envelope that鈥檚 virtually snag-proof.

The popular MaxTrac outsole also gets a refresh on the Lone Peak 9. A new lug pattern enhances downhill traction鈥攑articularly through the heel鈥攁nd improves the outsole鈥檚 longevity. Inside the shoe, you鈥檒l find a newly refined midsole. It鈥檚 made with the same popular Altra EGO foam, but construction updates make it springier than before, boosting energy return and providing a smooth, responsive ride.

The nice thing about Altra is that it knows when to make changes鈥攁nd when not to fix what ain鈥檛 broke. Blessedly, the Altra Lone Peak 9 sports the same zero-drop construction and overall fit. A roomy toe box鈥攐ne of Altra鈥檚 signature touches鈥攇ives the toes space to splay out and grip the trail, while a tapered midfoot and heel hold the foot securely in place. The new shoe also retains its 25 millimeters of cushion鈥攅nough to absorb impact on rocky segments without compromising trail feel. A flexible yet protective rock plate armors soles against sharp stones, and Altra鈥檚 signature GaiterTrap holds strapless gaiters securely in place.

Between the tried-and-true features and clever updates, the new Lone Peak promises to last longer鈥攁nd take you farther鈥攖han any of its ancestors ever could. So, if you鈥檙e ready for a new shoe to start racking up miles this summer, you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to do better than the Lone Peak 9. Lace up, chase the sunrise, and start finding your next adventure.

shoes feature a wide toe box with more room for your toes and zero to low drop to keep your feet in a natural position. Altra Running shoes are designed to keep you comfortable on any road, any trail, and any adventure. Stay Out There.

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Altra Rivera 3 Review

MSRP: $140
Weight: 9.8 ounces (M), 8.2 ounces (W)
Stack Height: 28-millimeter heel / 28-millimeter forefoot (0-millimeter drop)

I鈥檝e known Altra co-founders Brian Beckstead and Golden Harper since they launched the brand a decade ago. Through the years they have never missed a chance to gently correct me whenever I said that their shoes were wide. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not wide,鈥� the founders insisted, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e foot shaped.鈥� Despite their assertions, however, there was no denying that the forefoot in the original Altras was so ample that many runners鈥� feet swam clumsily around in the ocean surrounding the toes.

I鈥檝e been a fan of Altras from the beginning, and a firm believer in their wide (there I go again) toebox. My has led me to believe this shape is more important than the brand鈥檚 zero-drop platform, allowing the foot to act naturally and encouraging a balanced, stable, efficient gait. That said, I have often wished for a little less room as my feet slipped around in some of their shoes, even with the lace eyelets threatening to meet in the middle.

In February 2021, the brand released the Rivera, their first training shoe touted as having a slim fit (a few previous racing shoes had a lower-volume shape, and some trainers had a slightly svelter 鈥渟tandard鈥� last). Beckstead says the new shape was designed to accommodate someone who says, 鈥淎ltra is too roomy, too sloppy, my foot slips around,鈥� or who is simply accustomed to the closer, more secure feel of narrow-toed shoes. The first version delighted narrow-footed runners, while alienating those who appreciated the generous volume Altra is known for. The second version鈥檚 upper was slightly more structured, with stitched reinforcements along the sides and less room over the toes, making it feel even more constraining.

The Rivera 3 retains the same slim shape, but Altra has refined the fit such that it feels just about perfect on my medium-width foot. Key to that fit is that while the overall volume is lower, the slimmer version is still 鈥渇oot-shaped.鈥� The shoe widens at the ball and stays wide, letting my toes splay, stabilize, and propel, rather than unnaturally binding them into a point. While this was true of earlier Riveras, the new version makes the combination of secure fit and forefoot freedom shine. As Beckstead points out, 鈥渢he last is only the starting point鈥攎aterials and constructions also influence fit.鈥�

A Refined Rivera

The Rivera 3鈥檚 upper is a simple, flexible, highly-breathable mesh with a higher, rounder toe bumper that expands the forefoot volume. The strategically padded heel collar locks down the rearfoot, and the tongue is thinner, enhancing the hold around the instep. On the run, the upper surrounds and follows the shape of my foot, holding it securely without squeezing anywhere or realigning where it wants to move. It delivers on the Rivera鈥檚 promise of being a shoe someone new to Altra could wear and get the benefits of the shape without feeling alienated by the fit.

But Altra did more to make this third Rivera a more mainstream, transition shoe. Underfoot, they added two more millimeters of bouncy foam to the midsole, bringing it from 26 to 28 millimeters thick, and slightly softened the compound. They also made subtle changes in the pattern of the rubber pads and flex grooves on the sole, widened the base under the midfoot, and bolstered the contoured guide rails around the arch. In all, the changes transformed the ride from what was a light, close-to-the-ground shoe to that of a cushioned daily trainer that still retains the flexibility and nimbleness of a more minimalist model.

A Rave Review

After several weeks of running in the Rivera, I鈥檝e enjoyed the ride on runs at every pace and surface, ranging from treadmill intervals to easy four-milers in slushy mud. Everything falls right for me in this shoe: I touch down softly, where my foot expects to land. I roll smoothly onto the platform and transition quickly to the forefoot. The sole flexes where my foot wants to flex and lets me roll naturally off the toe. The platform is wide enough to feel supportive under heel, arch, and toes鈥攑articularly under the big toe鈥攂ut not so wide it torques and twists my foot or feels clumsy. The flexible sole moves so well with my foot it feels almost like my natural padding grew an inch thicker.

Altra鈥檚 proprietary, rubbery-feeling AltraEGO foam seems to have found its sweet spot at the Rivera’s height and density, delivering soft landings balanced with a supportive and propulsive rebound. I noted and appreciated the additional thickness most in the forefoot, where it felt like the foam comfortably caught me as my weight transitioned onto the ball of my foot, then provided a welcoming stable ground for rolling onto the toes and pushing off. The Rivera鈥檚 combination of cushioned support, foot-shaped platform, and foot-following security enabled me to relax and let my foot land and move how it wanted, without fear or discomfort.

A Few Faults

As much as I like the Rivera 3, I do have some complaints. One of the things I liked about the original Rivera was that the row of lacing eyelets ended earlier than on most shoes. The new Rivera鈥檚 eyelets extend farther down the foot鈥攏o doubt to improve the hold for those who appreciate the narrower shape鈥攂ut a drawback for runners like me with disproportionately long toes, which puts my ball-of-the-foot flex point farther back. It鈥檚 easily solved by relacing the shoe with the lowest eyelets skipped, which looks a bit funny, but sets my forefoot free to splay and flex no matter how tight I cinch down the laces.

My second beef was also with the lacing system, namely that the flat laces came untied far too easily. They stayed put when double knotted, but it seems like in 2023, designers could come up with laces that tie easily with one knot and stay tied.

My final criticism is linked to a complement: On the positive side, when I鈥檓 wearing the Riveras, I feel like I run better鈥攖aller, more balanced, with a quicker cadence. When I鈥檓 maintaining good posture, the shoes don鈥檛 feel zero-drop, as my weight stays over my mid- to forefoot which compresses and creates a functional heel-to-toe drop. The flip side is that when I start to slump, and fall into taking longer, slower strides with a heavier heel strike, the shoes lose some of their magic and can feel a bit clunky. My heel sinks in, and it feels like it takes more effort to roll over the forefoot. The Rivera is far more forgiving of sloppy strides than the brand’s more minimalist Escalante, but when I鈥檓 feeling fatigued toward the end of a long run, I鈥檝e occasionally wished for my shoes to do a little more of the work.

That said, after any run in the Rivera 3, even those where my posture flags, I return home and my legs feel surprisingly fresh. But note, while the fit and cushioning make the Rivera an easier transition to Altra’s unique feel and ride, you鈥檙e likely to still need some transition time before wearing them every day, and will enjoy them most on runs where you鈥檙e feeling fleet and light-footed.

This shoe is for you if鈥�

You like the feel of toe freedom but have found Altra鈥檚 fit too wide, and you want the flexible, balanced ride of a minimalist shoe with a moderate level of soft and bouncy cushioning.

Bottom Line

The fit and ride made the Rivera 3 feel like an extension of my foot, surprising me every run with their balance of security, freedom, cushioning, and support.

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In just over ten years since its inception in 2011, Altra has evolved from an entrepreneurial start-up to one of the top-selling trail shoe brands, with a loyal following on the roads as well. Denouncing traditional shoe design from the outset, the upstart company has earned its place by building running shoes that look, feel and ride differently. Here are 10 facts you might not know about the brand.

1. Altra broke the mold to develop a unique, alternative design in running shoes

The founders chose the name Altra to denote the idea of alternative, and from the beginning they have delivered just that: a different way of thinking about running shoe design. Prior to Altra, most running shoes were built with narrow toe boxes and a 10 to 12 millimeter drop sloping from the heel to the forefoot. Altra created shoes that had the same stack height under the heel as they have under the toes. This zero-drop concept (a term the Altra founders created and popularized), provides a level platform underfoot, encouraging a naturally-balanced stride.

Just as importantly, every Altra shoe has a spacious foot-shaped toe box with a wider forefoot that encourages a runner鈥檚 toes to relax, spread out and move naturally, with the big toe remaining in a straight position for maximum stability and power.听 While the 鈥渂arefoot鈥� shoes that were trending in 2011 when Altras first came out also had wide toe boxes and no heel lift, Altras differed by providing a generous layer of cushioning underfoot, creating a unique ride that helped the brand survive long after minimalism crashed and burned.

2. Altra鈥檚 roots trace back to a cross country team and a running shoe store in Orem, Utah

The original tendrils of the brand reach back to 1997, when future founders Golden Harper and Brian Beckstead met on the first day of cross-country practice at the start of their sophomore year of high school in Orem, Utah. Not only were both already very good runners, but they were already fascinated by running shoes. In high school, Harper and Beckstead both worked , which Harper鈥檚 parents, , have owned since 1995.

Cheryl is a lifelong runner who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon five times, while Hawk became an accomplished marathoner after a knee injury curtailed his college football and baseball careers. Hawk won the St. George Marathon in 2:22:03 at the age of 38, but more importantly, he became a hobbyist shoe cobbler, modifying his own shoes to make them fit better, feel better, and run better. Hawk did everything from lacing his shoes differently, allowing his toes to flex and splay more naturally, to coating parts of his shoes with glow-in-the-dark paint for greater visibility at night.听 A favorite tweak of his was drilling holes laterally through the thickest portion of the midsole to make the back half of the shoe lighter and create a more evenly balanced ride.

3. One of Altra鈥檚 co-founders ran a world-best marathon time at age 12

Hawk passed his love of running and running shoes to his son Golden, who started working at the family store as a 9-year-old. At age 10, Golden ran his first marathon in an eye-popping 3:08. A true running prodigy, he went on to set the world-best marathon time for a 12-year-old of 2:45:34 in 1994. He won two Utah high school cross-country championships (), and became an All-American collegiate runner for Brigham Young University. He and Beckstead, the latter of which ran collegiately at Utah Valley University, both found success in ultra-distance trail races in their 20s and 30s.

4. The founders鈥� goal was to design shoes that stayed out of the way

Once they became managers at Runner鈥檚 Corner in the early 2000s, Harper and Beckstead began investigating ways to help customers reduce common running overuse injuries and run more efficiently. (Harper studied exercise science in college with a focus on biomechanics and kinematics, while Beckstead earned a business degree.) Under their guidance, Runner鈥檚 Corner was among the first stores in the country to sell Vibram FiveFingers in 2006, but they believed those minimalist models were best for gait training and not for everyday or high-mileage running. After Runner鈥檚 Corner invested in a high-speed digital video camera in 2007, Harper and Beckstead began filming customers running in minimalist shoes and more traditionally designed cushioned trainers and stability models. This research led them to the decision that they wanted to develop new shoes that allowed a runner鈥檚 feet to behave naturally, as if running unshod over a smooth, grassy soccer field.

5. The first Altra prototypes were born in a toaster oven

In 2008, using a toaster oven and a belt sander, Golden deconstructed a pair of Inov-8 Roclite 325 shoes a size and a half larger than his own size nine. After heating the shoes in a toaster oven to melt the glue holding them together, he delaminated the layers and removed the foam midsole section鈥攚hich was thicker in the heel than in the forefoot鈥攁nd replaced it with a uniformly thick piece of moderately-soft Spenco foam. He then sanded off some of the excess rubber in the heel and glued it back together to create a shoe with a level platform. When he laced the reconstructed shoe, he skipped the eyelets on the bottom so that the toe box would open up and allow his forefoot to splay naturally when pushing off the ground. In the coming months, Golden reconstructed shoes using the toaster oven technique for more than 1,000 customers, a process that became the catalyst for developing Altra鈥檚 first prototypes in 2009.

6. People initially thought Altras were weird

Harper, Beckstead (along with business associates Jeremy Howlett and Quirl Hansen) began to organize the company and develop Altra鈥檚 first prototypes in 2009. The shoe world was ripe for new ideas: the minimalist movement was going mainstream at the time, Newton had recently burst on the scene with its forefoot propulsion lugs, and the first Hokas had appeared, introducing maximalism. In 2011, Altra unveiled its unique shoe design paradigm鈥攍ightweight trail and road shoes with no heel lift but 20 millimeters of cushioning, asymmetrical lacing, interchangeable insoles, and obtusely rounded toe boxes. The initial reception was mixed. Many runners felt the shoes were too wide and awkward-looking, and, while some retailers and runners were intrigued with the brand鈥檚 unique design and focus on optimal running form, many were confused about how they fit into the shoe world since they straddled known categories of cushioned, stable, or minimal. Altra stayed true to its original shoe design theories, though, and created its own category, building the brand over the years in both trail and road running.

7. From the outset, Altra focused on creating great womens鈥� shoes

Instead of just creating small versions of its 尘别苍鈥檚 models, Altra was one of the first brands to use separate lasts (the three-dimensional interior mold on which a shoe is built) based on the narrower heel and wider forefoot profiles of most female runners. Rather than just having a 尘别苍鈥檚 and wo尘别苍鈥檚 version of the brand鈥檚 first model, the Instinct, Altra called the wo尘别苍鈥檚 model the Intuition. Altra continues to have .

8. Altra now is owned by the same company as Vans, Smartwool, Timberland and The North Face

Altra was purchased by VF Corp in 2018, and moved to a new headquarters in Denver in 2019. Soon after the sale, the company dropped the 鈥渮ero-drop鈥� nomenclature from its marketing and sales under the belief that each of those words represented negative connotations. Instead, they now refer to the level platform as 鈥渂alanced cushioning.鈥� In recent years, Altra has also offered slimmer-fitting versions of its most popular shoe models, which still retain a foot-shaped profile.

Since becoming part of VF Corp, Altra has built a new innovation lab committed to the study of human biomechanics and physiology to inform future shoe design. Named , an homage to the 275-degree temperature of Golden Harper鈥檚 shoe-melting toaster oven, the lab鈥檚 initial project was the development of Altra鈥檚 first carbon-fiber-plated super shoe, the Vanish C, launched in April 2022.

9. The brand鈥檚 trail shoes have always been named after mountains in Utah (until now)

As a call-out to its Utah heritage, all of Altra鈥檚 initial trail running shoes were named after mountain peaks in the Beehive State during the brand’s first decade. For example, the Timp is named after 11,752-foot Mount Timpanogos, the second-highest peak in the Wasatch Range. Other trail shoes in the Altra line have been direct namesakes from Lone Peak (11,260 feet), Mt. Superior (11,045 feet), Mt. Olympus (9,026 feet) and King Mountain (13,528 feet, and the highest peak in Utah). However, its most recent trail shoe release, , is named after the highest peak in Western Europe (15,777 feet) and the site of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc trail running races.

听10. The most famous runners who wear Altras are Olympians Kara Goucher and Alysia Monta帽o

Altra sponsors a deep and diverse of elite athletes, coaches, and influencers who run on trails, roads, and the track. Some of the highest-profile team members are track star-turned-trail runner Alysia Monta帽o, two-time U.S. Olympian Kara Goucher, 2:11 marathoner Frank Lara, 1:01 half marathoner Sydney Gidabuday, and ultrarunning champions Jeff Browning, Amanda Basham, Mark Hammond, Dave Mackey, and Zach and Nicole Bitter.

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VF Corporation听released its 2020 Inclusion and Diversity Annual Profile听to the public in recent days, providing an in-depth look at the company鈥檚 global efforts to create a highly inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity among its 50,000 employees.

The report鈥攖he first disseminated to a public audience鈥攃ommunicates some encouraging numbers. According to the data,听55 percent of VF’s U.S. workforce is composed of BIPOC employees (Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color), up 7 percent since the company started tracking the statistic in 2015. Also impressive is the report’s confirmation that 57 percent of new VF hires in the last year were BIPOC individuals.

According to Reggie Miller, VP of global inclusion and diversity, the company鈥檚 emphasis to drive these efforts began in earnest five years ago. VF hired Miller to improve diversity practices in May 2017, and one of the first things he did was establish an executive inclusion and diversity council of leaders from each of the VF brands鈥攊ncluding The North Face, Icebreaker, Smartwool, JanSport, Altra, Timberland, and 12 others鈥攖hat meets quarterly. The group is headed by VF chief executive听Steve Rendle.

We connected with Miller for an exclusive Zoom interview about what鈥檚 behind VF鈥檚 report, the key takeaways, and how VF hopes to drive change around inclusion, diversity, and belonging throughout the outdoor industry.

First, is this the first inclusion and diversity report VF has done?

No, we’ve done them it internally before. But this is the first time that we posted it externally on our website and have it available for anyone to look at. It’s the next stage in our journey towards complete transparency and it helps drive accountability for us as a company.

Why is it important for VF to put out this report?

For one thing, we wanted to showcase our journey through these efforts. We’ve been working on this for five years, and along the way, we鈥檝e done things that we’re very proud of and we’ve made mistakes. We’ve progressed in some ways and not enough in other areas. This report allows us to be really, really transparent and accountable, not only to our employees but also for the entire industry.

We’re typically a company that will let our actions speak for themselves. I think this is a perfect example of that. The things you see in this report encompass one fiscal year and speak to how we’ve grown over time to be able to get here. Five years ago, we couldn’t put out a report like this. But we want to be able to showcase to other companies that we’re not perfect. We know we still have a lot of work to do, but we wanted to take a moment to celebrate where we’re at.

Can you tell us what happened internally at the company after the murder of George Floyd?

We quickly held a meeting of the executive inclusion and diversity council. We knew that we had made progress around people of color, but that we had to do better. We needed to accelerate our work to really drive the BIPOC population in leadership positions within the company.

Steve Rendle issued a statement first to our employees and then to the public linking racism to the current pandemic. Next, we said to our employees, 鈥淲e know that you’re hurting right now. What can we do to help?” The following week we held a company-wide Zoom call with ten minutes of silence for George, Ahmaud, and Breonna, and all the others who have lost their lives. It was a very emotional ten minutes. Then the leadership team hosted a series of listening sessions, and people were raw, frank, hurt, sad, and fearful for their kids. One session was called 鈥淎llyship to Advacocy鈥� and over 7,000 employees attended. I feel like we really came together as a company. From there, we created an internal council to advance racial equity, headed by 15 leaders, primarily BIPOC individuals. We’re really serious about being part of the solution.

We all saw the rush to make anti-racist statements back in late May and early June. We were very purposeful. It can’t just be about an Instagram post; it can’t just be about an announcement. We want to make sure there are actions and initiatives and practices in place. What you’ll continue to see from us, whether it’s through this report or other announcements, is that we invest serious work in these efforts.

We recently wrote about transparency in the summer issue of The Voice鈥攁bout how it鈥檚 important for consumers to be able to trust the brands they support. I assume you agree with that assessment?

Yes. One of the first meetings I had when I joined the company was with our communications team. We mapped out the road to transparency. We knew we had to take steps every single year in order to get to a place where we could be completely transparent. The Inclusion and Diversity Report was on the agenda for us anyway, to accomplish that goal. Its release, this year, just so happened to line up with everything else that’s going on.

Tell me about your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

The key to them all is the fact that they’re grassroots efforts. It’s not about my team saying, “Hey, we want an ERG in this location or with this brand.” It all comes from the employees getting together and starting a group. When a group springs up, there is a process they go through. They have executive sponsors, they have a curriculum that they follow, they have communication support. We’re structured around three main groups today鈥攐ne that’s my multicultural, one that’s LGBTQ, and one that鈥檚 gender-focused. There are several chapters, both around the country and around the world within those three main groups.

What kind of impact do ERGs have on the company?

ERGs provide a sense of community for our employees. Whether you’re brand-new to the company, or have been with us for a while, having a place where you can feel welcome, comfortable, and safe, is always a goal for us and ERGs provide that. But they also provide the opportunity for leadership and growth and development. For instance, I may be an individual contributor in my role, but I can go work on an ERG and manage large, cross-functional projects. I think that鈥檚 a real way for us to develop underrepresented groups. I myself am a product of that. I led an African-American ERG during my time at Walmart, and that was when I became convinced that working holistically on inclusion and diversity might be the right career option for me. So I’m a true testament to the power of ERGs.

The report clearly shows that VF has made some incredible strides in its journey to become more diverse and inclusive. What鈥檚 next in terms of strategy and execution?

We know we’re still very early in our journey. There’s a lot left to do to make sure everyone feels included when they’re working at VF. A small- or medium-size company in the outdoor industry might look at a big company like VF and think we have it all figured out. In this space, however we don’t. We’re still learning things every single day.

Our new strategy will guide our actions through 2030. We thought it was important to set that kind of vision because it gives us a north star, and allows us to be adaptable along the way as the market and our employee base changes. We have three aspirational strategic pillars: associates and culture, brands and consumers, and social and societal impact. If we can activate against all three of those pillars in the next ten years, we can have a huge impact on not just the lives of our employees, but on the world.

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Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy is about to get a lot stronger.

VF Corporation, the Fortune 250 holding company for The North Face, JanSport, Smartwool, and other brands, announced that its moving its global headquarters to Denver, bringing 800 high-paying jobs to the metro.

鈥淐olorado is an area with an unrivaled heritage and culture of outdoor and activity-based lifestyles, as well as a thriving business environment,鈥� said Steve Rendle, VF鈥檚 chairman, president and CEO, in a news release. 鈥淚t is a great strategic fit for our business, and we are excited to be relocating our headquarters and several brands to the metro Denver area next year. We believe that the creation of our new headquarters in the area will help us to unlock collaboration across our outdoor brands, attract and retain talent, and accelerate innovation.鈥�

The Board of Directors also plans to separate the company into two independent, publicly-traded companies: VF Corp, a global apparel and footwear powerhouse, and a yet-to-be named company to hold its jeans and outlet businesses in North Carolina.

Out of the 800 employees moving beginning next spring, about 85 are members of the company鈥檚 U.S.-based senior leadership team. And over the next two years, brands including The North Face, JanSport, Smartwool, Eagle Creek, and Altra will relocate to join VF Corp in Denver.

Those leaders include Travis Campbell, newly named the general manager of The North Face, Americas, and Jen McLaren, newly named president of Smartwool.

VF Corp already has a presence in Colorado, with Smartwool being in Steamboat Springs and Boulder.

Luis Benitez, director of the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry, said that the move is a huge win for OREC overall. Because VF Corp is keeping some of its business in North Carolina, there will be a net zero job loss in the east. He said it’s important to note that the move is not stealing from the sister state, which also is working hard to strengthen outdoor recreation economy.

鈥淭his is growing the overall outdoor industry economy, and not just taking from one state to make another state better,鈥� Benitez said.

He said the VF Foundation鈥攖he charitable, scientific, and educational arm of the company鈥攊s also moving to Denver, using $27 million in job growth tax credits that will be matched dollar to dollar within the foundation and earmarked for outdoor initiatives.

Colorado governor John Hickenlooper in the news release said, 鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome a new partner that embodies the values that define Colorado. VF鈥檚 move underscores the critical driver that the outdoor recreation industry plays in our economy where business meets lifestyle.鈥�

Come next spring, VF Corp will be neighbors with GearJunkie.com, Outdoor Retailer, and a flurry of other outdoor brands.

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VF Corporation today announced that the company has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the Altra footwear brand from Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.

The transaction is expected to be completed in April. Other terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, according to a press release from VF Corporation.

Icon Health & Fitness started Altra in 2011, selling road, trail, and lifestyle shoes in 55 countries through more than 1,600 specialty retailers and a website. The Logan, Utah company also owns the brands NordicTrack, ProForm, iFit, Freemotion and Weider.

VF Corporation, founded in 1899, will add Altra to its portfolio of other outdoor and lifestyle brands, such as The North Face, Timberland, Wrangler, Lee, Vans, Eagle Creek, Smartwool, Reef, JanSport, Kipling, Napapijri ,and Eastpak.

鈥淭he acquisition of the Altra brand is another example of our efforts to reshape and evolve our portfolio of powerful brands to align with our enterprise value creation model,鈥� said Steve Rendle in the press release.

Rendle, chairman, president and CEO of VF Corporation, added that, 鈥淭he active outdoor and performance sector is a large and attractive growth space. The addition of the Altra brand brings to VF a unique and differentiated technical footwear brand and a capability that when applied across VF鈥檚 outdoor footwear, direct-to-consumer and international platforms will serve as a catalyst for growth.鈥�

The Altra brand generated around $50 million in revenue on a trailing 12-month basis, according to the press release.

“The Altra听brand鈥檚 truly innovative product and devoted brand loyalists will serve it well in its new home at VF,鈥� said Scott Watterson, Icon’s chairman and CEO. 鈥淭he sale of Altra will accelerate the continuing growth of our NordicTrack and ProForm core brands, our Freemotion commercial business, and iFit, our connected fitness subscription. The global health and wellness industry is exploding, and we’re doubling down on that growth.鈥�

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