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.

Here’s my contribution. I haven’t done controlled tests like you did, but I run a lot of rocky vertical terrain and have put lots of miles in all these shoes. Trying to focus here on wet rock grip from the outsole and ignore other shoe attributes (fit, lock down, flexibility/stiffness, weight, cushion, etc) that also come into play with their overall ability to do the job on wet rock 5: VJ Maxx 1&2 VJ Spark Arcteryx Norvan VT (limited mileage) 4. Arcteryx Norvan SL 1, 2, &3 Salomon s/Lab Sense 7&8 Nnormal Kjeraq 3. La Sportiva Helios SR La Sportiva Vertical K & VK INOV-8 F-Lite 195 2. Whole bunch of older inov-8 x-talon and RocLite models NB minimus Salomon s/lab ultra 3 Salomon s/lab sense 7SG 1. Old Nike Terra kiger Salomon s/lab sense 1, 2, 3 For spiked shoes, I actually think they suffer quite a bit on rock because they don’t stick instantly like pure rubber soles. 4. VJ Devil 4 3. VJ bold race, VJ ice hero, INOV-8 ORoc 280

There is a new version coming out. I don’t think the changes are substantial though.

Yeah, the kjerags are a good option. I have a pair, but prefer the norvans for steep and technical stuff. Norvans are lighter and fit my feet much more precisely. Kjerag upper is a bit sloppy on me so my foot isn’t as secure as I’d like for rocky downhill stuff. Kjerags definitely have a little more cushion and “pop” to the midsole, which is nice, but not enough cushion or outsole grip that I’d reach for them over my preferred all-arounder: VJ maxx2

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.

I sized down from my normal true-to-size for Kjerag 1 (10.5 to 10). But I was randomly in a store in durango that had the kjerag 2.0. Tried the kjerag 2 in US 10 and it was definitely way to tight. Unless this new upper has more give than the former, I will likely get my normal 10.5 when i pull the trigger.

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

I have the same problem as you and the shoes that block my heel best are the NNormal Kjerag and various Salomon models such as the Genesis

Cheers for the review! Did you have any problems with the tape that wraps around the upper where it meets the missile peeling away on the original Kjerag (1.0)?

Appreciated. My pair started peeling in the same place but spread all the down the side of the shoe. Have returned them, will glue my next pair before it becomes a problem.

Thank you for the information. Also preordered a pair. Looking forward to it. I love the kjerag 1. With no other shoe I did so many miles. The stack height is fine to me, but I am curious about the new stack height of the 2. The only thing I do not like so much is the 6mm drop. 0-3mm would be nice 🙂

I've been comparing the Nnormal Kjerag02 and Norda 005. Also the Patagonia "trail" clothing is very nice. Ps. The Norda 005 are very nicely built but too much foam for me and "unstable". I enjoy the Nnormal Kjerag 01 and 02 more. I'm running technical forest (MTB) trails 90% of the time. It's been a fun summer testing.

As always it’s very personal depending on how well the shoe fits my feet and the terrain I’m running in (technical mountains, mud, rocky). I like sky running races around 20-30k and VK’s. Sometimes short road races from 5k to Half Marathon. Current rotation: - Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx. Great allrounder. - VJ Ultra 3. Cushion. Great for easy and long runs. - NNormal Kjerag Brut (mud) - Salomon Aero Glide 3 (road and treadmill) Recently retired shoes: - Nnormal Kjerag 1. Fast but too small lugs to have good grip in mud/loose debris. Too little cushion for me. Kjerag 2 has more cushion but same outsole. - Nnormal Tomir 2. Great allrounder but didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). A bit heavy when wet because the insole keeps a lot of water. - Salomon S/lab Genesis. Great allrounder but worse grip on wet rocks than Vibram Megagrip and VJ. - VJ Maxx 2. Really good allrounder. But didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). Shoes I’m considering next: - La Sportiva Prodigio Pro - Merrell MTL Adapt Matryx - Merrell Skyfire 2 Matryx