Kjerag 01

For road: Adidas Asizero Adios 9 For trail: Nnormal Kjerag 1 Also consider: VJ lightspeed & maxx2 aren’t what I’d consider low stack, but they’re not high stack either. Very capable on highly technical terrain. VJ midsole foam in these feels awesome.

My recommendation would be the VJ Maxx2 I also really love Arcteryx Norvan SL3 for steep technical uphill stuff, but these are maybe a bit too minimal for a lot of people’s taste and I think they’re discontinued. Bought a pair of Vertex Speed Low to try as replacements? But they’re not really the same. You could also try Nnormal Kjerag. This kind of splits the difference between the two shoes I listed above. I found the upper to be a bit too sloppy (foot will move/roll relative to the sole on off camber stuff) compared to the other two though, so I don’t trust them at speed in serious technical terrain. That’s pretty specific to my foot though, otherwise I think I’d be a big fan.

My go to for this is the Arcteryx Norvan SL3. They might be discontinued though. I recently picked up a clearance pair of Merrel Skyfire 2 Matryx that see very very promising. Never owned a merrel shoe before, but excited for these this year. Wouldn’t be my first choice for pure rocky trails given the lack of surface area in the lugs. Another similar shoe is the Nnormal Kjerag. I don’t love the fit. Seem a little too sloppy in the upper midfoot for my taste on really technical terrain, but everyone’s feet are different. Common theme among those - lightweight, matryx upper, megagrip sole. I find that to be a good recipe. You could also check out VJ Spark. I put a few hundred miles on a pair, but honestly I wish they had more rock protection and a less bulky upper. VJ Maxx2 is a great all around shoe. It’s not heavy, but not super light either.

The Kjerag 1 are, so far, the only shoes that have given me a tangible advantage on technical alpine terrain

I agree, the grip on these is excellent. I even wore them for most of my winter runs over icy roads. Very durable shoe with a minimal feel.

I had a similar issue with my Kjerag 1 — I ended up gluing the upper back to the midsole, and 1500 km later it’s still holding up fine. Have you noticed a difference in how it runs on the runnable sections with the new midsole and geometry? Aside from the increased stack, does it actually change the ride much?

Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx and it's not even close. This coming from someone who has those, plus Kjerag 1 and 2.