Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

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NMG
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Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby NMG » Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:37 pm

Hi everyone,

Are any of you running La Sportiva trail shoes? If so, any feedback? Looking at adding another pair of trails to my rotation and was considering the La Sportiva's, either the Wildcat or Ultra Raptor. I'm considering those two because I have a very wide forefoot and from my research, it seems like those are the two models that would seem to fit me the best.

Any thoughts on those models or in general? I'd be using them in the Greenbelt here in Ottawa, March Highlands, Gatineau, etc.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you may have!

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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby ultraslacker » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:23 pm

have you tried them on? that's the only way to know. :)

La Sportiva is the only brand of trail shoes I wear (the one exception is my NB Trail Minimus but I don't wear those often). Best shoes ever.

I've been wearing the Raptors for several years, but haven't tried the new Ultra Raptor yet.
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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby NMG » Wed Feb 26, 2014 4:33 pm

Not yet ultraslacker, hoping to find some this weekend to try on. If I can find some that fit my often limiting foot size, I suspect I'll be bringing them home. Thanks for the info.

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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby Nicholas » Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:04 pm

Post this over in the Ultra forum and you might get more responses. I know Spaff loves his Crosslites....he may have some idea of which La Sportiva shoes come in wide sizes.
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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby NMG » Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:38 pm

Good suggestion Nick. I'm going to hit up MEC tomorrow to hopefully try some on and pending the results there, I may just get in touch with Spaff for some additional advice. Hoping I can just come home with a new pair of shoes, LOL :)

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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby Strider » Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:31 pm

Yes Spaff is the La Sportiva Guru and member of the Team to boot. I have been, and still am a Crosslite 1.0 fan. 100miles and no issues. That said I have been cheating on LS over the last year and running in Hokas and Innov8's - But the CL1's and Vertical K's are still in the rotation. I find the Wildcats and Raptors too much shoe these days.

Try them on let your feet decide.
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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby NMG » Fri Feb 28, 2014 6:13 pm

Thanks for the response Strider.

I went down to MEC today and ended up leaving with a pair of Wildcats. I also tried on the Raptors, but thought the Wildcats had slightly more room in the toe box which felt good for my foot. Initial impressions were very good. I found the upper to be very light and flexible and it really hugs your foot. I was also really happy with the space up front, as that was my initial concern. They also seem incredibly grippy. I'm not sure what type of rubber they use in the outsole, but one gets the sense you could walk down a 90 degree vertical, LOL. The wildcats are definitely not a minimalist or low profile shoe, but I think they are going to work very well for me in my rotation.

I had a look at the Crosslite's as well and they look awesome. Not quite the type of shoe I was looking for right now, but I may take a closer look at them again later in the year. They look incredibly light and responsive. They also had the Helios there and it looked interesting. It was also lighter than the Wildcat or Raptor and it looked like it had a pretty low drop.

Thanks again for the responses, I'll be sure to post an update once I get them dirty :)

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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby ultraslacker » Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:20 pm

If the wildcat has the same sole as the raptor, you almost CAN walk up a 90 degree angle. The soft nubs between the hard grips are made of the same material La Sportiva uses on the bottom of their climbing shoes--they are very grippy, especially on rock.
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Re: Anyone Running La Sportiva's . . .

Postby NMG » Fri Feb 28, 2014 10:32 pm

Hey ultraslacker,

Yes, I do believe they are the same sole and I'm really anxious to try them out. There are a couple of spots I like out here where you are running over large sheets of exposed rock and anything that will give me a little more confidence will be greatly appreciated, especially on the downhill side of it.


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