[alpinejoe]

Hi UA! I’ve seriously caught the mountain/ultra running bug, and though I didn’t get to do some of my plans for this last summer (life!), I have big hopes and plans for next year.

I have mountaineering/alpine climbing experience, but the realm of running shoes is a bit new to me, so I’m hoping for some advice on shoes!

Some of my goals for next year involve crossing long stretches of glacier and snow. I was using LS Kaptivas over the summer which I really loved, but the Petzl Leopard crampons I bought did not strap-on confidently (slid a bit under the toes) and the metal pieces dug into the toe which was painful: not something I could tolerate for extended periods.

I’m wondering if the community has recommendations for shoes that work well with the Leopards?

Also, the Kaptivas soaked up water like a sponge in snow. They weren’t GTX though. In your experience, does GTX layer help with that? Or not worth the extra money?

Thanks! Really appreciate the advice!
Joseph

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on November 22, 2020 at 8:15 am #47174

Hi Joseph,
Welcome to the joys of moving quickly in the mountains. If you like the Kaptivas, I bet you’d like the Bushido. I use it for anything that needs a crampon, and my Leopards fit really well on it. It has a stiffer sole that’s perfect, but it’s still a really comfortable shoe on trails too. The GTX version of the Kaptiva is really good, and I wear a pair all winter, but the hard part is keeping snow out if you’re on glaciers or lots of snow. Once snow gets it, it’s harder to get out, as you’d imagine. That said, it definitely is warmer, and the mesh is tighter so I do like them, especially that model. I don’t know how they made it without creating a stiff brick like so many other GTX shoes I’ve tried, but it’s great.

Hope that helps, and have fun with your adventures next year!