La Sportiva - Jackal II GTX

Light and sturdy shoes with decent grip and cushioning will do. I used La Sportiva Jackal II trail running shoes

I also live in the Alps. I'd give a try with La Sportiva Lycan. They are basically like soft sneakers, but with the excellent La Sportiva sole. Snuggy but very comfortable. La Sportiva Jackal II are similar but a little more roomy in the forefoot and from what I understand from their website they are designed for hiking/running on rocky terrain and longer distances, while the Lycan are more for dirt, mud, snow. I only own the Lycan, I tried the Jackal II but there wasn't my size available. The brand has more shoes I didn't try but I know are very loved, like Akasha and Prodigio. They are from the Italian Alps so they should be perfect :) I also own Salomon Genesis but I find them even a bit too comfortable – which may actually make them what you're looking for from your post. I guess it's subjective. I like some room for my toes, but also love a snuggier feel around my heels and to feel my foot is firmly wrapped and supported, and while the Genesis have a very good grip and a sturdy sole (and a very good protection around the forefoot ) the feel under and around the foot is like having a squishy comfy shoe and it doesn't make me feel as secure and agile as the La Sportiva shoes do. But again it may be subjective and I also have very thin feet. Maybe it's exactly what you need. In Salomon, I much prefer the XA Pro for the snuggier, a little more firm feel, but I'm not sure they would be good for you if you want a very cushioned shoe. They are more a hybrid between a trail running shoe and a low ankle hiking shoe. But they are very reactive nonetheless. I ran down a very hard and steep terrain of dirt, wet leaves and rocks just a couple weeks ago and I felt super safe with the XA Pro. I have the GTX version and my feet were completely dry even after crossing two streams of water and walking across a field that had a couple inches water from a recent flood. They may be too rigid for you, but you may try them in a store. I also suffer from plantar fascitis and had to return a pair of Garmont Pulse shoes recently because my feet were crying after a 2 hours test walk. I am totally ok with full day hikes and runs with the Xa Pro and Lycan. In case you want to go for one of these brands, La Sportiva is usually a little shorter than Salomon in the same size. I am a EU 41 in urban shoes, a 42 in Salomon and a 42.5 in La Sportiva.

Definitely between models, La Sportiva usually run way narrow in the toe box for my average width feet. Some models they've made wider, like the Jackal II and the Blizzards which are great for me, nice rounded toe boxes. All La Sportiva run a half to full size short in all models I've tried so far. Love their grip though, some of the best for trailrunners.

I prefer their Jackal II, which have been discontinued :(, but can still be picked up on sale and their website:)

A durable trail running shoe for all hiking, unless you’re trudging through snow. LaSportiva Jackals have served me well.

I loved the Jackal 1 (haven’t tried the newer model but it looks great) and currently am in the Mutants for seriously rocky/bouldering/loose gravel and they’re like I have gecko feet on lol. I did have an issue with the Bushidos however; the middle of the sole doesn’t have any grip on the bottom, literally just a plastic plate with branding on it. I found myself slipping on rocks right jn that section of the sole which led to some of my biggest spills.

Thank you! I’ve been the same size in the Jackal 2 and the Prodigio and I’m looking at getting the pros 

I did so much research on this subject last year before landing on the la sportiva jackal. IMO the bushido are too soft for serious scrambling. I also used scarpa ribelle run xt’s, which I liked, but did not fit my foot correctly. Scarpa also makes an approach/ runner, but from what I’ve been told, they aren’t great to run in.  I listened to a podcast recently where the guy was talking about how great norda is for scrambling due to the dynema upper. If I could try them on and they weren’t so expensive, I would probably go that route. The biggest downside to scrambling in running shoes is the mesh when you are jamming. I’ve climbed up to low fifth class in my jackals for what it’s worth.

The jackal is higher volume than other la sportiva shoes. The scarps felt much more narrow to me. I like a high volume shoe and I love the jackal. That said, I have an average width foot- not wide, not narrow. 

For me in wet terrain with rocks, the best is Asicsgrip (6). After that, probably Vibram (tried in Hoka and Nike shoes), Contagrip in Salomon Speedcross 4 and Continental in various Adidas models. Here, some variation between them (for example, Continental in Adidas Terrex Two Flow is better than in Adidas Terrex Agravic Flow 2.0 (so a 4 for them). After those, probably the outsole by La Sportiva (in Jackal model) and various Nike outsoles (Kiger 8, Wildhorse 6, Pegasus 4 TR) in wet terrain (btw, in mid Spring to mid Autumn, Nike are pretty nice shoes here)

Topo MTN Racer 3 or La Sportiva Jackal 2 would be my personal choices for cushioned mountain running. Lots of good choices out there - try before you buy.

I have 3-4 shoes in rotation at any time. Mutants for days with 5.5+ scrambling or a ton of talus fields, Jackal 2’s for everyday trail, Essentially retired prodigios for gravel or roads, and Prodigio Pros for racing or 100k+ days. Unless you are doing technical mountain terrain often you really only need a road pair and a trail pair in my opinion. I highly recommend the Jackal 2’s as a trail shoe, especially if you have pro deals, and I also loved the regular Prodigio for less techy trails. Find a shoe or two that work for you and run with them.

Cascadia is good but lately I have been enjoying La Sportiva Jackal and Karacal which have proved more durable

I find Dynafit shoes to be narrow, stiff, and hard. I prefer to rotate between my La Sportiva Jackals and Hoka Torrents. I do enjoy Dynafit skis and boots though!