Over the years we’ve seen some mind-blowing hard flip clips on social media, but the most eye-catching ones that are burned into our retinas are from the French ripper Aurelien Giraud. Aurelien burst onto the scene skating some of the biggest gaps and catching everyone’s attention with not so common tricks down them; the way he landed nollie backside flips, hardflip late flips and backside 360 kickflips made it seem that he was just pulling them out from a bag of “go-to” tricks. Seeing him casually huck himself through the air and stomp bolts on these tricks even brought us back to the days when Chris Joslin was on a rampage throughout the world’s biggest gaps. This type of skating is straight up gnarly, and Giraud’s power, finesse and confidence gradually solidified his invites to Street League, Dew Tour, and even the 2020 Olympics. Although Aurelien was on Nike SB for quite some time, he made the switch and joined the Etnies squad around a year ago, with top-tier gap skaters like Joslin and Sheckler.
Etnies as a company with French familial ties and still operated as a skater owned business, affirmed Giraud’s decision to make the switch; soon enough he earned himself a color way on one of Etnies classic models, the Veer. Seeing Etnies back Joslin and Sheckler with pro-models, could we be expecting a Giruad pro-model soon sometime next year? In the meantime, we got our hands on a pair of his newly released Veer colorway, and put those Michelin rubber outsoles to the test. Read on below to see how the Veer performed.
The shoe fits true to size.
The Etnies Veer features two main suede layers in the forefoot area. There is a main layer as well as another suede layer on top around to protect the critical ollie and kickflip area. The advantage is that once the first layer is ripped, there is another suede layer underneath it to serve as a reinforcement and second line of defense. In our 10 hour test, the first panel ripped in the ollie-area within the first three sessions, so it helped to have another layer underneath, but in all, the upper durability was average. With that said, Etnies used their Michelin rubber for the shoe’s outsole, which proved to offer superior durability, especially on the side of the sole. This is important since once this rubber layer is gone, all the abrasion from the griptape attacks directly the upper. In summary, the Veer has some good durability characteristics for the sole, but the upper has its disadvantages.
The Etnies Veer features an EVA midsole that provides heavier cushioning in the heel and midfoot areas, tapering off to allow for more boardfeel in the front where the toe area is thinner. Additionally, the shoe includes a Foam Lite 2 insole, which enhances the overall cushioning of the shoe. After skating the shoes for 10-hours, it was safe to say the shoes had impressive cushioning abilities and were very fitting for gap skating.
The Etnies Veer features a clean and classic cupsole model silhouette. At first glance, the shoe may seem bulky and reminiscent of 90’s skate shoes, but it actually has every feature needed for modern skateboarding. The shoe is significantly padded from the midfoot to the heel, and tapers to the toecap area. From a bird’s eye view the shoe looks quite wide, but when the feet slip in, the shoes is packed in quite snugly due to the padding around the heel collar and sidewalls.
The boardfeel of the Etnies Veer was surprisingly better than expected. At first glance, the sole of the shoe, the cushioning elements and the sheer outward appearance made us think the shoe was quite bulky with limited boardfeel. Right out the box, the shoe’s boardfeel took about 1 hour to break in, and soon after the boardfeel adapted more to the concave of the board and sole of our feet. The Etnies designer helped to improve the shoe’s flexibility by adding a multi-directional tread pattern in the forefoot flex area. As for grip, the Michelin rubber outsole performed solid and no blowout spots appeared in our 10-hour wear test.
Starting with the comfort, the shoe is very light and Etnies added noticeable breathability features with a mesh tongue and a perforated quarter panel. The Etnies Veer boasts several shoe construction elements that work together to create a highly stable foothold. One of the key highlights of the shoe is its stability in the midfoot and heel areas. The high heel collar stabilizes the ankle and heel, while the lateral sidewalls feature leather material, where the “E” is stitched on, helps the shoe maintain its structure during a 10-hour test. The snug fit of the shoe is the result of the padding which is added in all the right areas, and helps support the stable fit.
All in all, as a cupsole model, the Etnies Veer excels when it comes to cushioning, stability and even boardfeel. With that, the durability of the upper could be improved, as well as some elements of the grip. With this room for improvement, we’re hopeful in seeing if Giraud’s inputs may be idealized in the form of a brand new Etnies pro model.
