Catching up with John Mark
Seelig Captain, USA Men's Rafting Team

• You’ve been a rafting guide or pro whitewater athlete for decades. How’d you use your experience and training to inform Torrent Pro?

  After traveling the world competing and exploring all kinds of rivers, I’ve seen pretty much every type of water shoe and what works in different conditions. I also own a guide company, so I’ve seen my raft guides try nearly every shoe. When it comes down to it, we need something we don’t have worry about if things get crazy. Preparing for the worst is essential, since rivers can be pretty unpredictable.

• Where’d you get the inspiration for the design? Any favorite features?

  We started with the outsole, making sure we could grip every type of rock and debris along the river. And because we travel and compete all over the world, we wanted traction for anything we'd encounter. My favorite feature is definitely the outsole. We sat down with Chaco, talked about our favorite shoes from the past 15-20 years and thought about what could apply to any river sport. It’s light, comfortable, versatile and just looks awesome.

• If you wanted people to know one thing about the Torrent Pro, what would it be?

  You can trust it! It will perform and hold up to the elements wherever you take it.