La Sportiva - Mutant

This would be the holy grail of UK shoes wouldn’t it. Best I’ve found off the shelf is the La Spo Mutant but I would rate the Thundercross as a better ‘running’ shoe if that makes sense. The mutant is a bit more like a workhorse than anything sporty. I actually stuck a pair of Inov8 boomerang insoles in my Thundercross which transformed them a fair bit. Left field option - resole an old pair at the Key Cobbler. The 5mm black Megagrip Litebase sole actually works really well on all types of terrain ive found. Same as the one on the Nnormal Tomir. Won’t do you for steep downhill fell running but good enough for sloppier less steep stuff.

Best shoe for mixed UK terrain in terms of grip is the La Sportiva Mutant in my opinion. Sticks to wet Lake District rock and is decently lugged. Would be perfect for the ultra. Of the ones you mention, I’ve raced the Thundercross and the Genesis and got on fine. The sense ride would be less grippy than those 2 although a great shoe in itself. What didn’t she like about these? I’ve not ran in it but apparently one of the best shoes for UK out there at the moment is the new Inov8 Trailtalon. Looks great.

I’m surprised at the Zegama not performing - they have Vibram Megagrip on the outsole don’t they? Tends to work on wet rock. For scree you’d likely benefit from deeper lugs though. La Sportiva Mutant is probably your best shoe for wet Lakes in my experience. Generally the rubber that works on Lakes wet rock is VJ Butyl, La Sportiva Frixion White (the best I’ve personally tested) and Vibram Megagrip on various shoes. Edit: saw you ask about Salomon. Their Contagrip hasn’t been great at wet rock stuff traditionally but I know lots of people love the newer SLab Genesis. Lots of mountain runners wearing that particular shoe for big mountain races.

The Normal Kjerag Brut has a fantastic outsole for muddy and wet slopes but you should expect premature wear if you run on more abrasive surfaces. The La Sportiva Mutant are a good compromise but not as light as the Kjerag

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.

For technical terrain you probably want La Sportiva if you don’t have wide feet. Bushidos or mutants are the usual recs. Note that a shoe that is good for difficult terrain won’t be as comfortable for long miles, and vice versa so there’s a trade off there. If you aren’t actually running consider approach shoes too. They’re much better for climbing.

La Sportiva makes hands down the best runners for hard hikes or scrambling but they generally fit narrow. Bushido or Mutant are the usual recs I quite like my Altra Lone Peak comfort wise but they feel a bit shifty on hard hikes so I end up wearing my approach shoes

You could use the same shoe for trails, hikes, and easier/moderate scrambling but I would strongly recommend separate shoes for road. Roads will eat up trail shoe outsole lugs/tread and when they are worn smooth, you lose much of the traction you'd need for trails so they end up being heavier road shoes. La Spotiva Mutant has been ok but it is heavy for a trail shoe. Don't know exactly how wide your feet are, Altras and Topos fit my feet best but the Nnormal Tomir 2.0 has been good after breaking it in over 50-70 miles. Lots of outsole lugs, durable upper and midsole.

My pick right now would be either the Normal Tomir 2. It fits my feet well, has big grippy lugs, and achieves a decent balance of cushion without being too much or too stiff since it doesn't have a rock plate. Toe bumper has saved my toes. It runs on normal trails just fine but on technical stuff I'm looking for stability and grip which the Tomir does well for me. Close behind would be the La Sportiva Mutant. Main reason it loses to the Tomir 2 is because for me, the Mutants do not do technical stuff any better than the Tomir 2 while the Tomir 2 also runs better than the Mutant so it's more versatile. Just my experience.

I think it's Horses for Courses with footwear. It's not a one size fits all solution, you've got to pick the right bit of kit for the job. In addition it depends on your level of fitness and getting your body used to hiking with loads  Generally for walking, I'll wear trail runners all year around. Grippy non maxed cushioned ones, generally I like La Sportiva Mutants or Karcals. These are really popular and designed for mountains/long distance. Yes your feet will get wet but they'll dry off, whereas goretex boots will never dry out.  For anything technical or day hiking, I'll take approach shoes. Great on rock and really supportive while being comfortable. The La Sportiva TX4s seem to be the most popular choice. For winter or when I know I'll be on rough ground or bogs. I'll take lightweight B2s, these are really waterproof, very supportive and the stiff sole is good for rough ground. Less comfy than trail runners, but still pretty good. My advice would be trail runners, if you're going somewhere boggy invest in waterproof socks. Also get vapor barrier socks or bread bags, of you're camping. When you get to camp take your wet socks off, put dry ones on and then the bag/vb socks over. This will stop your new socks getting wet and will dry out your shoes.

For me La Sportiva's shoes have been unrivalled for durability. My first pair of mutants have roughly 1500km in them, though have now been downgraded from a fell shoe to a trail shoe as the lugs have worn down. If the Bushido's are so clearly working for you, I'm not sure why you would move away, but the Mutants should perhaps be a considerations. My personal view of Speedgoats is that they shit clumpy things with even shittier grip on muddy terrain, plus a horrendously high stack. Mine lasted me 50km before they became gardening shoes. Doesn't matter how durable a shoe is if you don't get on with it, hence why the Bushidos seem the obvious choice for you.

The more cusdhioned Inov-8 mudtalons did me for 80km last week. The La Sportiva mutants are decent too. Actually too cushioned for pure fell racing, but not bad over longer distances.

I have been searching for the same thing!  For a wider feet take a look at La Sportiva Mutant or Scarpa Ribelle Run Kalibra HT. Both have stickier rubber and scramble really well. Those two were a bit too wide for my narrow feet so I will wear Akasha 2s until the end of time which my favorite shoe of all time. 

I never liked the Bushido, but have run in the Akasha and Mutant a fair amount. The Prodigio Pro fits my foot a lot like the Mutant but with a much more responsive midsole and more forefoot room. The Prodigio Pro isn't an evolution of any existing LaSpo shoe, though -- it's a much bigger forward leap. Responsive, sticky like the Mutant, nimble, and far more stable in the heel than the Akasha. Would I scramble low 5th Class in the Prodigio Pro like I do in the Mutant? Probably not on purpose... But long runs are a dream in them.

I feel just as unlikely to slip* in my LaSpo Mutant trail runners as I did in my old boots. Both have aggressive lugs to prevent slipping. Is there something about boots besides lug pattern that you think is helpful in the Dolomites? Edit: spelling. I neither slip nor sleep in my shoes