Always great to see a sportiva on the channel. The mountaineering heritage is evident in the build. In the northeast I’ve done trails in the mountains that have destroyed lesser shoes, la sportivas just hold up. Time after time
I hope they do a Bushido 3. Backing off on the midfoot cage stiffness and bulk would bring a much-needed weight drop, and just a touch more cushion in the forefoot would be nice.
Hi Ethan, I have lots of La Sportiva shoes. The Karacal are great shoes agree strongly. For the ultimate mountain shoe it has to be the Mutant every time. Built like a tank but super stable and gripy, a must try for technical ups and downs. Again size up a full size in my experience. For light and fast the Helios ticks every box super light and comfy with a real minimal feel. Great to see La sportiva being reviewed by you and others in the US. Mahoosive thumbs up.
Totally agree with the narrow fit on the heel forward which can lead to unstable footing on the descents. I have La sportiva Bushido which are great with grip and rock protection but I have experienced near serious ankle rolls before I got comfortable while running downhill because of the narrower heel fit!
Interesting. I think the first time in a while I actually own a shoe before seeing any RU-vid reviews. I picked this up in an online sale about 3 mths ago. I can confirm it is absolutely, in my opinion, NOT a cushioned ride. The sole is pretty hard and it didn't work for me at all (6' 2", 200lbs).Now demoted to an everyday hiking shoe. Thankfully a really nice looking shoe, bought at discount price, that'll look good for a while, so I don't mind that.
It's interesting how the La Sportiva sizing issues carry over from their climbing to running shoes. In climbing, the sizes aren't even a suggestion anymore - I wear a size 9.5 (42.5) street size, and in La Sportiva climbing shoes I wear anywhere from a 39 to a 41.5. Also Ethan when are we going to see a shoe that you've designed? You could also look at the old Speedland Channel and try to hack one together yourself... I"m thinking Megagrip, 4mm drop, slightly rockered, slightly wide, and a TPU foam? And ooof now I want to try! As always, great work!
I love caracal. I used it for mountain running last week and it was a success. I was able to rhythmically step on the stairs made of fine rocks and tree roots. However, the heel fixation was a little loose, and my foot slipped forward on steep descents.
La Sportiva Mutants are my go to technical trail shoe. Build quality is excellent. It's the A-110 Warthog in my lineup. Tried the Jackal and did not like it at all. Just sent the new Akasha 2 back because of poor heal lockdown. Really wanted that one to work. Nice video!
Just swiped a pair off the REI returns shelf for a steal. Your review suggests it was a wise move. Just one more trail race for the year, so I'm thrilled to see how they perform. It's Christmas!!
For La Sportiva, I started with a Bushido II some years ago and it was aight. Had a second pair before getting the Akasha II. I love my Akasha IIs. My 2nd or 3rd week with them on my feet, I did a 50k mountain race with around 7500-8000' feet of climbing. I wasn't overly eager, like some other racers, to kick my shoes off at the end of the race, which I took as a positive. Great traction, cushion, protection and they drained super well with the creek crossings for this particular race. I did, however, collapse the heel on one of them putting them on for some longer efforts later in the fall. It honestly is such a bummer because I bet I could get a minimum of 500 miles out of the upper, midsole and outsole of this shoe. Definitely user error, but now that the prices are up on Akasha IIs (I picked mine up for $97 off Backcountry) I'm considering alternatives. I'm curious if I should keep the Akasha II for my mountainous, long day trail shoe or if I should consider this or something like the Mutant?? This would be in rotation with a Salomon Pulsar Trail.
I’ve found that the Euro sizing for La Sportivas and Salomon’s are pretty consistent at least for the last 4 years, so if you know your Euro size you can go by that every time.
I've run in the karacals and just couldn't get a good fit even though I sized up. I felt like the toe box was really high but not wide like advertised. I also have the Jackals which have a wide toe box and are super comfortable but unfortunately the heel rides really high and gives me blisters no matter what I do which is a bummer because I feel like this shoe would be comfortable for very long runs.
I've just bought my first pair of la spotiva as an impulse buy from a run show which are the new cyklon. Might be worth trying? They have the boa tightening system like in cycling shoes and make for a good snug fit. Not run much in them though but can handle the sloppy stuff and comfy albeit firm cushioning.
@@TheGingerRunner please do so, v1 was great, although heavy, but if you like a firm protective Ride, especially on more tough terrain, few are better to go long in my opinion
Great review, I always look forward to your reviews before considering forking out some big bucks on trail shoes. Think you be getting your hands and feet 😆 in some Norda 001?
did you feel the heel part of the sole was narrow?? i had those shoes and started turning my ankles right and left, they are a solid shoe but felt they were to narrow, not much stability
Looking at this brand to try lately. I heard you mention the Salomon Sense Pro. Any idea what La Sportiva model would be closest to it? Seems Salomon stopped making the Sense 4 Pro
Hello! First time watcher, first time commenter. I had four pairs of Akyra’s. I loved them!!! La Sportiva discontinued them. Is this a fairly good replacement? I read that the Jackal heel support rubs peoples Achilles tendons in a bad way, so I never tried them. This seems to be the best alternative. I have tried the new Brooks Arcadia’s, but returned them for outer big toe rub, and arch blisters. I also tried the On trail shoe, but sizing was an issue and not a ton of support. I am 6’4” and 260 pounds. I know that sounds big, but I’m a pretty athletic Germanic built Firefighter who is wondering if you think these are a good alternative to the Akyra. Thanks in advance!!
Have invested in a pair of Tempesta for winter and have been very happy with the build and fit, I am looking for something to replace my Hoka torrents and contemplating these jackals or cyclone. Ethan have or are you testing these???
Got a pair of Jackals last year and I turned around after 2 miles and returned them. Just felt like a dead, lifeless, stiff hiking shoe. Not sure I'll really give the brand another look.
I will NEVER buy another pair of La Sportivas. They are too God damn narrow and do NOT offer a wide body option. The sizing is insanely undersized. I love them but I hate them. I am waiting for Asics to get their shxt together and build a 4E high end Trail shoe. Love their Road shoes 4E.
Eh I wish people would stop promoting la sportiva, their quality has declined so much over the years. I haven't had a single piece of their apparel survive more than a few months without some sort of failure, broken buttons, cheap elastic. Stop supporting trash!!
