La Sportiva

Latest Reviews

Akasha

A burly trail runner meant for mountain runs or hikes. I'm on my second pair of La Sportiva Akashas and figured it was time for a review. I've owned several pairs of La Sportivas, but these are the only ones to fit well. The others I've owned simply didn't have enough room in the toe box, these do. This is also La Sportiva's burliest trail runner. I don't have overly wide feet, but do need a roomy toe box—not an easy proposition unfortunately. The Akashas fit snuggly in the heel and midfoot, where… Full review

Helios 2.0

The shoe is terrific, but not for my feet. I really wanted to love this shoe because it's lightweight, very flexible, and still very gnarly on the sole—perfect for my style of toe-striking on particularly technical trails. But alas, the 39.5s were the right length and too narrow and the 40s were the right width but too long for my size 8 feet. Still, I would recommend them for trail runners who like lightweight and low-drop shoes, need a little more support than minimalist or no-drop shoes can… Full review

Wildcat

Comfortable out of the box, good fit, lightweight. Good shoe. To date, the best hiking footwear I have found. I was looking for a lightweight trail shoe for three-season hiking. They were comfortable on day 1, worn locally as a precaution but didn't seem to need it. They are breathable but not waterproof and offer good traction on rocky, rooty trails, damp or dry. They performed well on multi day backpacking trips of 10+ miles per day over rough terrain. No damage to feet or shoes. Full review

Nepal EVO GTX

They are absolutely bomber mountaineering boots and I recommend them to any serious mountaineer BUUUUT holy hell do these suckers hurt—so much that on my last climb I joked that hacking off my feet with my ice ax and descending on bloody stumps would be less painful. Wearing them feels like miniature shark attacks (one for each foot). They are ultra stiff, full-shank boots so I wasn't expecting them to ever be comfortable, but after using them nearly year-round for three years I thought they'd… Full review

Wildcat 3.0

Really a thoughtfully designed shoe that is perfect for long-distance days or backpacking trips. The sole of the shoe can handle conditions ranging from desert sand to patchy alpine snow. I would strongly recommend this shoe for anyone hiking or backpacking with less than 35 lbs of gear. This shoe is ideal for someone who has a traditional foot shape and wants lightweight footwear, but still wants a shoe with structure and rigidity. Individuals with wide feet should consider other options due to… Full review