Para Team Salomon: Inclusion through technical innovation and adaptive performance
The Salomon Para Team embodies a structural approach to promoting inclusion in trail running, going beyond simple sponsorship to create a framework for athletic progress and technical research for athletes with disabilities. This initiative, which combines accessible performance and disruptive innovation, has been nominated in the Social Initiative of the Year category at the Trail Running Awards.
The Adaptive Project: Equal opportunities through sport
The Salomon Para Team was founded to support and accompany athletes with disabilities, based on the belief that sport is a powerful tool for rebuilding and surpassing oneself.
This initiative contributes to the recognition of all forms of athletic performance and aims to inspire a wide audience. The initiative is part of the broader Adaptive Project program, which offers athletes comprehensive support in defining and achieving their goals, whether they are personal development or professional athletic projects.
Feedback from athletes illustrates the scope of this commitment. After testing a prototype during a climb, Michel Robert said, "If I had met you 40 years ago, my life would not have been the same."
Innovation: Aeronautical carbon fiber for trail running
The most innovative aspect of the Adaptive Project is the unprecedented collaboration it has fostered: Salomon has partnered with Airbus and the École des Mines d'Albi.
The goal was to make high-performance running prostheses, which are often prohibitively expensive, financially accessible. This partnership between two unrelated sectors—aerospace and outdoor sports—has led to the development of an innovative running prosthesis using industrial carbon scraps from the production of the Airbus A340. This approach gives high-quality materials a second life while drastically reducing the cost of manufacturing the equipment.
The athletes of the Para Team play an active role in this R&D, combining their expertise as users with that of engineers to design solutions adapted to the real constraints of trail running.
Impacts and field validation
The Salomon Para Team has demonstrated a tangible and growing impact on the trail running and parasport ecosystem:
Competitive presence: The team regularly participates in trail races throughout the year. One of the team's athletes finished the CCC in 2025 and plans to compete in the UTMB in 2026.
Paralympic Games: The initiative extends beyond trail running. Several athletes from the Team are committed to the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Cortina (Alpine skiing, Cross-country skiing, Snowboarding), some of whom are equipped with prototypes designed as part of the Adaptive Project.
This initiative illustrates Salomon's determination to make performance more accessible, paving the way for a more inclusive approach to all outdoor sports.
