The Nike ACG LDV Tells The Origin Story Of All-Conditions Gear

Nike’s impressive relaunch of the ACG department has renewed promise behind the brand’s outdoor-focused athletic-wear. Grabbing headlines with air-filled jackets and insane pop-up activations that involved a full takeover of a train, Nike ACG is back in action, rededicating itself to the athletes who get their sweat on in nature. While there’s much promise on the innovation side, Nike is touching on some forgotten historical context with the ACG LDV, a shoe that tells the story of the era before ACG.

The Nike LDV (Long Distance Vector), which launched in the late 1970s, was born as as a long-distance running shoe. Nike supplied pairs of the LDV to a team looking to summit K2; the shoes were to assist in their trek to and from base camp. The LDV was the polar opposite of standard hiking shoes at the time; built with nylon and super-soft and breathable, the LDV, on paper, seemed like the worst shoes for the job.

However, the LDV proved to be the perfect shoe to hop around rocks, while the breathability helped stay cool during the arduous trek. Ridgeway was quoted stating “They were functionally superior to the more rigid traditional trekking shoe.”

At the K2 base camp, a photo of Rick Ridgeway and John Roskelley would serve as the epic origin for what would eventually become All-Conditions Gear. Their shoes were entirely tattered and torn up, but Ridgeway/Roskelley returned the shoes to Nike with a list of feedback. These notes served as the foundation of Nike’s outdoor Hiking program, which eventually led to the formation of ACG.

This Spring/Summer season, Nike is releasing the LDV in two original colorways, but enhanced with the specific feedback provided by the duo. Built with more durability in mind on the upper and a beefier traction bottom, Nike reworked the Long Distance Vector into a shoe truly worthy of the ACG badge that sits at the heel. Official imagery of both pairs are just below; a release date will be announced soon.

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The post The Nike ACG LDV Tells The Origin Story Of All-Conditions Gear
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