Sitting below the carbon fibre plate is a cushioned midsole. Similar to the trend of increasingly cushioned road running shoes, this midsole is made up of dual density foam that’s softer in the heel. This provides much needed impact absorption, while still retaining a good level of stability and under foot feeling.

“The Flight Vectiv is able to reduce downhill tibial impact in the shins by 10%”

Taking all the data from the two years of R&D and over 6,000 miles of athlete testing, the North Face claims that the Flight Vectiv is able to reduce downhill tibial impact in the shins by 10%. That might not seem like a huge decrease in impact, but if you imagine it stretched over 7-hours (or more) of uphill and downhill trail pounding, you’ll soon come to be thankful for this boosted cushioning.

Wrapping up the whole shoe is an upper that’s made up from a weave of polyamide and kevlar to help beef up the durability of the shoes. The North Face has also featured a stretchy knit around the forefoot to help boost the comfort and improve airflow.

This all comes in at a weight of 288 grams for a UK 8 and a price of £180. If that’s a little steep for you, or you don’t require the carbon propulsion, then there’s another two styles in the Vectiv  range: the Infinite, carrying a Pebax plate and coming in at £145 and the Enduris, with a TPU plate for £125.

From February 18th all three shoes are available to buy directly from The North Face website