Nike ACG has never been particularly interested in making hiking shoes that quietly blend into the background, and the new Picklejus Big Mountain is no exception. 

At first glance, it looks completely bonkers. Give it a second, though, and it starts to look seriously good.

The latest trail runner from ACG is built for big-mountain terrain, but visually it’s doing plenty of its own exploring. There’s the chunky shape, wildly exaggerated sole and even an assortment of textures and colors that make it look more like some futuristic piece of outdoor equipment than something you’d actually want to wear for a run.

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And yet, that’s exactly the appeal. Underneath all the visual noise is a shoe that looks surprisingly considered. The silhouette has a nice balance to it, the details feel deliberate, and the whole thing somehow manages to be rugged without looking like it belongs exclusively on the side of a mountain.

There’s plenty going on technically, too, including ACG’s new GOATek traction innovation, but honestly, you don’t need to be scaling anything particularly dramatic to appreciate these.

They’re bold, slightly ridiculous and, against all odds, pretty damn nice. Sometimes the weird-looking ones are the best-looking ones. It’s set to drop late next year.

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