Trail Running Shoes
I’ve found that most trail running shoes just aren’t built to handle Adirondack trails. Having decades of experience with mountaineering footwear from La Sportiva, I’ve become a big advocate of their trail running shoes. La Sportiva shoes are really classified as “mountain running” shoes and are really in a different league than most other shoes when it comes to difficult technical trail running.
I will use shoes from Hoka and Saucony on longer, less technical runs, but for any single track in the Adirondacks I’m using a La Sportiva shoe with my favorite being the Akasha II.
Gravel Roads & Moderately Technical Trails
Hoka Speedgoat 5 - high stack (33/29mm), high cushion, not very durable, grippy rubber, a bit too squishy for technical terrain
Saucony Xodus Ultra 2 - medium-high stack (32.5/26.5mm), medium cushion, decent durability, outsole not great grip on wet rock, great shoe for long distance (30+ miles) runs over moderate terrain
Technical Trails
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II - heavy duty hiking/running shoe
La Sportiva Bushido II - low stack (19/13mm), low cushion, form-fit, grippy rubber, excellent for technical trails up to about 10 miles
La Sportiva Akasha II - medium stack (31/25mm), medium cushion, form fit, grippy rubber, excellent for technical trails up to 40 miles
La Sportiva Prodigio - high stack (34/28), medium cushion, grippy rubber, great for nimble footwork but can feel rocks under forefoot
Off-Trail
La Sportiva Mutant - medium stack (33.2/21.9mm), low cushion, aggressive tread
Winter Running
La Sportiva Blizzard GTX - sort of like the Mutant but with Goretex, studs, and a built-in ankle gaitor