Whooosh. The wind blows past your face. Craaack. The rocks fall away from underneath your feet. You’re at base camp in the mountains. Or are you? Nope, you’re actually at the Merrell stand at the Sundance festival in Park City, experiencing what it’s like to climb the Italian Dolomites without so much as setting foot on a plane.

At  the debut of our ultimate virtual hike we transported you to the Italian Alps where you could scurry along treacherous rock ledges and navigate a wood suspension bridge between peaks. Because we decided the best way to get you hiking was to show you what you’re missing!

TAKE A HIKE! SEE WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

CLIMB WITH CAPRA

On a normal shopping trip you probably can’t quite imagine using your purchases. Well with the help of the Oscar-winning visual effects/content studio Framestore, (known for work on the film Gravity… yup that’s right!) we brought the mountains to you.

So when you’re looking at our latest hiking boot, the Capra, set to make you climb like an animal, you can actually imagine using it.

Named after a mountain goat and designed to mirror its hoof, the Capra lets you scramble up those cliffs. Thanks to the transporting powers of Oculus’ virtual reality system we were able to let you experience it virtually.

And we can tell you, even climbing that high in the virtual world can make your stomach turn!

VIRTUAL HIKERS AT SUNDANCE

What’s adventure to you?

An escape? A retreat? A way to discover new places?

We get it. The way people adventure is changing. We all need to embrace the outdoors for what it is to each one of us, be driven by its mystery and feel empowered to be curious about our own journeys. You never know you could be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in your sitting room and then suddenly for real!

You can look back at our Sundance experience via @merrelloutside and#TrailScape. Then it’s time to get your hiking shoes on and get outside!