Montrail FluidFlex 2

I have to say these are one of my favorite shoes. They are light, responsive and of course flexible! I have run a lot in both Hoka's and Salomon Slab Sense and these fit that sweet spot right in between. They have good cushion but not to much. And while I haven't tried the first FluidfFlex I have heard these are a good improvement.

Upper:

(Achilles hugger) 

The upper is one of my favorite parts about this shoe. Its comfortable, breathable, but above all it fits the foot super snugly. I always felt secure in it and was never worried about my feet slipping around. But the best part about the upper may have to be the two ankle pads that squeeze you Achilles, I have taken to calling them Achilles huggers. These things are so so comfortable! They hold your heel tightly and feel amazing! My one little complaint is that the laces come almost together at the top, which can be a bummer because you can't tighten the shoe beyond that. Oh did I mention that they are a pretty good looking shoe as well.

Midsole:

(simple two part upper)

This is where the shoe's really excel. As I said before the shoe is that sweet spot between the max cushion of the Hoka's and minimal cushion of the Salomons. And it is made out of the fluid foam which lasts a long time and is responsive! Also as the name states they are flexible! you can bend and turn these any which way with ease. Mainly due to the grooves cut into the mid/outsole. This does lead me to one of my dislikes though. Little rocks and thorns get stick into the grooves. Its not a big deal, you don't really notice it but it does happen which is unfortunate. And my final point on the midsole is that for the most technical, rocky terrain they are a bit soft.

Outsole:

(Gryptonite outsole)

Pretty standard outsole made out of Montrails Gryptonite. It is a fairly durable sticky outsole that can grip to most surfaces. It is made out of little squares that although not to deep can grip pretty decently on all but the worst mud. The lugs are starting to wear down a little bit after about 200 ish miles. But not significantly. The one problem is that since it is not a full length outsole and it doesn't have a rock plate really rocky trails can be a bit dangerous.

Overall these are a fantastic shoe that I have worn on all surfaces and for the most part loved! I wore them during the Run Through Time Half Marathon that had mud, rocky trail, jeep road, and road. They worked perfectly I managed to place 3rd overall and had no feet problems. A few of my problems with the shoe (To soft of midsole, and no rock plate) have been solved with the Montrail FluidFlex ST. This shoe has a firmer midsole in the midfoot and a rock plate in the forefoot. The ST does not replace the Fluidflex 2 but rather goes along side it. I think that was a smart move on Montrail's part. So if you are looking for a light shoe that works well on any trail check these out!
Technical Stuff
Weight: 8.0 oz
Midsole: 22 mm, 17mm
Offset: 5mm

(On my way to 3rd Place at the Run Through Time Half Marathon in my FluidFlex 2)

La Sportiva Vertical K

The La Sportiva Vertical K is a fantastic shoe. It weighs in at only 7.0 ounces but has a plush amount of cushion. I mostly have only good things to say and only a few bad things. And not only is the shoe fantastic but so is the company that makes the shoe. La Sportiva is as most of you know a climbing/mountaineering company. And they make really high end products. There mountain running department is no exception. And one of the best parts is they are a dedicated trail running company. But enough talk about the company and onto the shoe.

The upper: Fairly snug with a surprisingly wide toebox. The Upper on the Vert’ K is interesting, it is not a normal looking shoe. The upper has some sort of lace sleeve. I does keep out the dirt and small rocks while running. But besides that it seems kind of like extra weight? The tongue is a burrito tongue. And this is one of the few shoes that the burrito tongue style really works. My only complaint with the upper is that it seemed to loosen up as I ran. Its a simple fix but I do wish that it didn't happen.  
 

The Midsole: The Vertical K offers a well cushioned plush midsole that works great for almost any terrain. The cushioning on the shoe is really comfortable, it is pretty soft but not overly so. Because of that it makes comfortable on roads and technical mountain trail. The shoe is made to be a racing shoe and you really do feel fast with it on. My only complain with the midsole is that it doesn't have a rock plate, making it tough to bomb as fast as you can down technical trail (La Sportiva recently released the Helios SR which is similar to the Vert' K but with a rock plait). But like I said besides that it is a great midsole.

The outsole: This is where La Sportiva's climbing background really works well in this shoe. The outsole doesn't have super beefy lugs but because of the outsole configuration and super sticky rubber it is able to handle anything from mud to wet rock. Once again I have one complaint. The outsole is not very durable. I have to pairs of Vertical K's and the older ones lugs are very worn down after not tons of use. But it is understandable because of how sticky the rubber is.

Overall its a super fun shoe to run in and because of how light it is it makes a perfect racing shoe. I also have to say that if you forget your rock climbing shoes on a climbing trip these make a great backup. I climbed my best route (5.12a) in them! I am excited to see what La Sportiva keeps introducing into the running world!

Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 3 SG

And Salomon has done it again! The leading brand in everything mountain running, has once again created the best shoe of its class. A light weight minimal trail/mountain beast! I have climb 11, 14'ers, and many 11,000-13,000 foot peaks in this shoe throughout the summer multiple races, and just about everything in between. I think in total I have put about 700 miles on this shoe. And ultimately it was the best shoe that I have ever used.

Upper: On of the reasons I liked this shoe so much was the upper. Combine the socklike fit that the sense range is known for with mesh that lets air but not dirt in, and you have super comfort. The upper is pretty durable to. It started to rip a little near my big toe after about 450 miles but hasn't increased much. And lets be honest thats a badass colorway. Overall I just really like the upper.

Midsole:
Not much change from previous models in this shoe for the midsole. It is still a minimal-ish amount of cushion with a light weight flexible rock plate. It has quite enough to get you through a full day of running.

Outsole: The outsole is the reason I bought this shoe. I needed something that could get me up any mountain. From a snowy may ascent of Humboldt Peak, to a technical ascent with rock climbing of the Whetterhorn. Obviously I picked the right shoe because it never failed me. And the outsole has been worn down to much.


Overall this is just one rad shoe that should be on every mountain runners shoe rack. It is a lot of fun tearing down a technical single track knowing that the pair of shoes you have on won't slow you down. I will definitely be getting a pair of the new version when it comes out.