La Sportiva - Cyklon Cross GTX

I've owned a pair of Blizzards for a few years, and I just bought a pair of Cyklon GTX to replace them. The main trail I walk during the winter is pure ice, but the studs didn't seem to help a whole lot. At least not enough to justify the price for a shoe that can only be worn in a very specific setting, and possibly only for a stretch of that specific setting. If you include getting to the trail, the need for them becomes an even smaller stretch of that specific setting. You can't wear them in your house, car, a gas station, ect. You have to swap shoes in your car before and after the hike. Which is tougher when wearing winter gear. You also don't want to wear them on a paved or rocky stretch, but you're committed to that once they are on your feet. On the other hand the Cyklon GTXs can be worn in any situation through three seasons. Unless you are ultralight hiking in endless icy snow, just carry some microspikes and use them when needed. Also I watched a video of a guy pulling the spikes out of his Blizzards. He used pliers and said it was a tough job, but can be done. The spike is attached to a flat plate that you have to pull through a thick, narrow hole. He only had one pulled out, so I said screw that and bought the Cyklons. The regular Cyklons are my all time favorite trail runners. When they first came out I was hoping that they would make a GTX version of the same design. The only downside is they get wet super easy. I live in a wet region in the spring and fall, and hate having cold, wet feet after walking through some grass. But whatever. I'm covered through four seasons now.

I can't confirm that La sportiva is bad in muddy conditions. It totally depends on the shoe. The bushido is definitively an allrounder that can handle muddy conditions very well. It clogs less than most of my other shoes. I also have the cyklon cross gtx which is a beast in snow and mud. The only shoe on par with it was a Salomon speedcross - but the latter is much worse on all other conditions. However I use the cyklon only in winter.

Lasportiva Cyklon cross GTX - phenomenal grip in all conditions - only for extreme icy conditions spikes can be useful

They have a very wide toebox compared to other La sportiva shoes. At least compared to the Bushido and Cyklon, those are the other shoes I have. Around the heel and midfoot they still fit snug.

The La Sportiva Cyklon Cross GTX is a great shoe for winter running. It has a integrated gaiter, is waterproof (which I only like for low temperatures) and the massiv lugs + soft rubber means tons of grip. I always carry spikes with me for icy conditions - I'm not a friend of screws. Never had wet/cold feet with this shoe.

Have you ripped studs out? I've been curious if they're removable, too - I'm ordering some but don't know if or how they'll fit into my desires just yet. They've also been on sale (like the Cyklons that I also have), so I wonder if they're being upgraded soon. My bigger question is if anyone can comment on the soles performance on dry rock, as in if one were to be doing mountain things and having some scrambling involved. Metal can be slippery on dry/non-icy ground, so I'm curious how manageable that is with these shoes in low level rock climbing/scrambling situations. Any insight?

There aren’t enough options with built in gaiters IMO. I come from a GTX hiking shoe background more than running, and was quite surprised at how quick a drop of drinking water goes right through the Cyklon! I don’t get too sweaty in gore shoes and I go plenty of places I don’t feel like dealing with wet feet.

The lug pattern matters just as much as the outsole material. For example, the Bushido is likely going to be a better rock shoe than the Cyklon just because of the outsole design. For rock, especially wet rock, you want large lugs with lots of surface area. Look at the outsole of an approach shoe vs a mud shoe like the Speedcross for example.