Athletic Bouldering 1 - White
£169.95
- The Athletic Bouldering 1 (White), the first-ever all-white climbing shoe, was designed by Boris Bidjan Saberi and built upon and adapted to a hand-shaped, downturned last created by Fred Nicole.The unique collaboration of designer Boris Bidjan Saberi - a climber for 30+ years, and climbing legend Fred Nicole resulted in an incredibly soft shoe that meets the creators unique demands of high design and maximum performance. Boris partnered with Salomon beginning in 2016 and has continued to collaborate with the brand to design/develop high end pieces. Half German and half Persian, Boris’ biographical factors play a fundamental role in his formation: combining dual systems such as West/Middle East traditions and form/formless garments with a passion for numerology. For the first time, Boris’ partnership with Salomon incorporated footwear, along with apparel, and packs through a unique athletic bouldering concept (11 by Boris Bidjan Sabieri / Salomon Athletic Bouldering).
Originally created as a one-off featured in the 11 Athletic Bouldering Exhibit for Paris Fashion week in 2023, the Athletic Bouldering Climbing Shoe model quickly turned into a house favorite so, naturally, we had to share it with you...and this time, offer it in white.
Featuring the iconic and patented Salomon Quicklace System, this regular volume, very soft shoe is marked by a two-piece, unlined, durable + comfortable vegan microsuede upper with a padded mesh tongue. The tongue includes a centering elastic strap to secure the fit, along with a perforated inner upper panel for breathability. A thin midsole is included to provide support/structure while the single piece outsole is fitted with a proprietary rubber that creates an incredible combination of resilience and friction resulting in support and sensitivity. Athletic Bouldering 1 is great for bouldering, large volume climbing, and projects involving precise toe placement. -
Design: 11 By Boris Bidjan Saberi and Fred Nicole, built on a downturned last
Volume: Regular volume (but best suited for narrow feet)
Flexibility: Very soft
Upper: Two-piece, unlined, durable + comfortable vegan microsuede with padded mesh tongue // Tongue centering elastic strap for secure fit // Perforated inner upper panel for breathability
Midsole:Proprietary melting board
Outsole:Full, single piece
Rubber:Proprietary rubber // Topographical-inspired toe patch design with integrated front rand
Rubber Thickness: 3.5mm outsole
Entry: Padded mesh tongue w/ tongue centering elastic strap for secure fit + nylon pull tab
Closure: Patented Salomon Quicklace system w/ Bottom loading lace garage for lace storage
Last: FDL-1-RV (28° medium asymmetry)
Color: Chalk White
Weight: 7.1oz/201g
Sizes: M4.5/W6 - M13/W14.5
Level: Intermediate/Advanced -
This shoe is a unisex model. We recommend beginner to intermediate climbers order one full size larger than your regular US street shoe size and advanced climbers order your regular US street shoe size.
Sizing • M = U.S. Men's • W = U.S. Women's. View the 2024 Climbing Shoe Sizing Chart
Customer Reviews
The shoes are very soft and comfortable. Thanks to So iLL team for all the helps they gave me when buying the shoes. I would strongly recommend everyone to buy!
First session I noticed I wasn’t getting as much grip on volumes and holds as my so ill stays. My foot slipped off a few times but after a few more sessions of breaking in the sole and getting the rubber nice and scuffed up I can safely say the white rubber is equally as grippy. These are definitely softer and more comfortable then my stays and feel really good. These lacing system locks down nice and doesn’t loosen over time. Really good shoe that isn’t the most aggressive painful thing to wear. Very happy with my purchase and have never been disappointed with any shoes I’ve bought from the company. Plus every person in the gym has come up to me and told me how cool the all white is. Love you so ill. Windsor rock gym for life
Comfort and Precision out of the gate. I love the feel and design. This shoe is a head turner at my local gym. Never really having a super soft shoe has opened my mind to really only wanting a soft shoe now. I have much more confidence in my foot placement.
I do believe the rubber could be a bit better and stickier. I also believe the lace system could be tweaked to wrap to the inside of the foot and connect there. Overall I think the future of this shoe and other shoes like it are going to be the future of climbing. This isn't just a great intermediate shoe it's a great shoe for climbers and beginners all around.
Can't wait to see what else you cook up next.
Your AB1 White is fabulous!
With its lacing and design, it wraps the foot like no other (except maybe the black version, but I don’t have that one). So the fit and support are incredible.
It’s super precise on all footholds — the feeling is amazing. For toe hooking, the grooved texture on the toe is excellent! Even better than the latest Scarpa model, which is already very good. The lacing also makes toe hooking extremely precise!
(please find hereafter the picture of both shoes)
For me, the overall performance is so good that there’s just one thing missing to make heel hooking as incredible as toe hooking: grooved texture on the heel as well!
On the latest Scarpa, they’ve added some sort of small bumps, and the grip is out of this world!
Considering the structured design on the front of the AB1, if you applied something similar on the back, this shoe would become an absolute weapon.
(please find hereafter the pictures of both shoes heels)
I love it!
I’ll send you some photos to illustrate what I mean…
Comparison of the front between the AB1 and Scarpa — the AB1’s structure is better.
But on the heel, the Scarpa is more effective thanks to the textured, honeycomb-like design…
You’re doing amazing work!
However, I must tell you that I just climbed 3 times with the new shoes, and the sole starts to come off ! (see picture 1)
I like them! To be honest, I was skeptical when I bought these, thinking to myself there was about a 50/50 chance I send them back. This is my first pair of So iLL shoes and I didnt really know how to size them or what to expect. But when I saw these All White shoes, curiosity got the better of me and I had to try them. I was slightly concerned that the rubber wouldn't be good, because rubber just seems like it should be black right? Not so. These feel perfectly tacky and sticky in white. I sized them up a full street shoe size because I like comfy shoes. Getting old and my bunions hurt from years of cramming into tight sport shoes. My toes are still slightly curled in these, but its still comfy. Probably not going to be my go to sending shoe for the proj, they're super soft and probably don't have the powerful edging I'll require for the route I'm working on. But as a general training, comfy work horse and for warmup routes they feel like they'll fit the bill just right. And they're a decent bit more affordable than my brand-which-will-not-be-named redpoint shoe.
