We believe in the power of sport to uplift and transform lives, and the Salomon Adaptive Project is a shining example of how—together with our stellar brands—we bring our purpose of elevating the world through sport to life.
Through innovative design, inclusivity, and a commitment to impact, Salomon is breaking down barriers and redefining what is possible for athletes with disabilities.
The Salomon Adaptive Project is a pioneering initiative aimed at making mountain sports more accessible. With a focus on designing prosthetics for running, skiing, and snowboarding, the project is about enhancing the lives of athletes with disabilities and empowering them to rediscover the joy of sports and the outdoors, while inspiring new conversations about accessibility.
How the Adaptive Project began
The story began with triple amputee Jérôme Bernard, whose vision of creating affordable running prosthetics led to a partnership with Airbus and Salomon in 2019. Leveraging carbon offcuts from Airbus and Salomon’s expertise in outsole technology, the collaboration resulted in the development of the Hopper prosthetic for trail running. This innovation opened new possibilities for athletes with disabilities to experience trail running in the mountains.
In 2022, Salomon took a step forward by setting up the Hopper 3000 Project, where six amputees, including Luca, Sarah, Christophe, Boris, Jérôme, and Michel, climbed a 3000-meter peak in the French Alps.
The success of the project led to the creation of the Salomon Para-Team, comprising Jérôme Bernard, Boris Ghirardi, Fabrice Baudet, Sarah Legrand, Lucas Liens, Fayçal Toumi, and Julien Veysseyre. Some of these athletes have taken part in trail races such as the MaXiRace in Annecy, France, The Speed Project in the USA, and Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland.
Expanding from hiking and trail running to winter sports
The Adaptive Project didn’t stop at developing a running prosthetic. This same spirit of innovation extended to the creation of adaptive prosthetics for skiing and snowboarding, as well as a range of clothing and bags inspired by the athletes.
With the design of a first mock-up in May 2023, the project became formalized around a group of 50 people, including Sylvain Merlin, Lead Exploration Designer for Winter Sports Equipment at Salomon, who helped extend the creative exploration to other activities via Salomon’s “Change Our Tomorrow” program.
Today, the Adaptive team continues its work to improve the prototypes and contribute to the athletic achievements of the Salomon Para-Team as well as the billion people with disabilities worldwide.
