Gravel is a tricky surface, I agree.
It probably depends on the the percentage of a certain terrain in a run that I choose the shoes.
Generally, for steep grass I like Mudtalons with 8mm lugs, for snow the Genesis and for barely runnable rocks Bushidos. But then again, there is always a trade-off, since a run is usually composed of different surfaces.
As an allrounder in alpine environment, I often go for Dynafit, Prodigio or Ribelle Run.
YMMY.
(And yes: I might have too many shoes).
I have been running in the Italian Alps for about ten years with distances even over 100km. I think that's enough to give you some advice.
It really depends on where you live, the terrain you train on (mud, gravel, rocks, roots), the distance you like.
To start, however, I recommend a comfortable shoe with a 4-6mm drop that is not excessively cushioned (you lose a lot of sensitivity on the ground) a sole with not too large notches (if there are some fast areas)
Hoka Mafate Speed,
New Balance Hierro,
La Sportiva Akasha,
Nnormal kjerag.
Salomon sense ride (cheap and fast)
Now I'm using the Scarpa Ribelle Run, they have 500km but they're not good
Per title, was wondering everybody’s opinions on this?
For context I have ample bouldering/sport/trad climbing experience and am getting more into scrambling.
I’ve done needle peak, sky pilot, west lion, Brunswick & crown, for reference. I’ve done pretty much all of these in scarpa ribelle runs which I find:
- very nicely lightweight & breathable
- excellent grip on trail
- very grippy rubber for smearing
- edging leaves something to be desired - rather soft and insecure for this
- fitwise, a touch narrow and pinches my pinky toes uncomfortably - would like smth that fits wider
- not always the greatest protection against ~baseball sized talus
As I look into other & bigger objectives (ie markhor-needle, tricouni, armchair, would like to get my fitness up to eventually do Robie Reid in a day), I start wondering if there’s something that could work for me better.
I was looking at the scarpa cruxes which seems like it’d be a lot more secure on the technical sections, but im not sure how comfortable they’d be on a massive day like a single day push of Robie Reid. On the other hand I’d rather be able to climb well vs have a foot pop and die lol. Or, should I just lean into trail comfort and then when it comes time to do consequential stuff, switch into rock shoes if the trail runners don’t cut it? What’s everybody’s thoughts?
They are narrow - I liked the ribelles but my feet didn't.
Other optjon - post your shoes to a Vibram re-soler; sole and trail in the UK are fab; get the peak sole put on, you won't regret it. I've used it multiple times on muddy mountainous routes. I imagine there is similar in the rest of Europe (I'm assuming you're in Europe or UK based on the use of KM)
Top Trail Running Shoes on Reddit
1
Mount to Coast
H1
85% positive of 177 users
Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.
Endivi
