Hook

The story of Hoka begins in Annecy, France, in 2009. Ultra trail runner Nicolas “Nico” Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, who is behind the hourglass shape of carving skis, wondered if it was possible to make better shoes for mountain running when they discovered that many traditional running shoes had shortcomings when it came to cushioning and comfort.

Inspired by other mountain sports with oversized solutions, Nicolas and Jean-Luc start looking into whether they can create a lightweight shoe with oversized cushioning, cushioning that they see is much gentler during, for example, the tough downhill runs in the mountains. They start experimenting with different materials and techniques, and after many trials and errors they start to see progress and here a so-called roller sole is also born that will provide better fluidity in the step.