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.