[LindsayTroy]

I’m hoping to get some ideas from people on here on their favorite shoes for ridge running.

I use Hoka speedgoats for most of my trail running but I’m getting more into ridge running which involves more scrambling and the speedgoats don’t exactly excel at this. At the same time, I’m hoping to do longer distances and run when terrain permits, so I’m looking for something that isn’t an approach shoe.

I’ve been recommended the LaSpo bushidos but the reason I started running in the speedgoats is because I got 2 stress reactions from running in bushidos.

Any recommendations?

Topic

[snicoll406]

snicoll406 on September 8, 2021 at 11:33 pm #56883

I was a speedgoat fan for several years and still run in them frequently but not so much when the trail gets technical. This summer I’ve been running in a pair of Topo Terraventures and really like them. Super comfortable, large toe box, feel very stable, cushioned but not “squishy”. I typically use Sole insoles in all my running shoes and was excited to see they’ve come out with a model for the new style of shoes shaped more like a foot which fit the Topos well.

[ChristianB]

ChristianB on September 10, 2021 at 3:35 pm #56935

VJ is by far the best running shoe for scrambling,ridges, east climbing and skyrunning when it comes to grip. For shorter routes, if you dont have very wider feet, go for VJ XTRM. For longer days go for VJ Maxx.

I think I have tried every outsole compound available. There is nothing like VJ except climbing shoes

[Jane Mackay]

Jane Mackay on October 11, 2021 at 11:02 am #57926

Late to the party, but I just read a gushing review of the LaSpo Mutant for ALL types of mountain running/scrambling and then saw your post, so thought I’d chime in with the link:

La Sportiva Mutant Review

The drop of 10mm is way too much for me (I prefer 0 or close to it), but in every other respect they do look excellent.

[cogburner]

cogburner on October 12, 2021 at 12:05 pm #57975

These are my own observations. In the right conditions (wet) the Inov-8 Orocs are incredible. Have a pair of VJ Bold I have yet to try in earnest. Spike placement looks better although it feels less padded for longer runs.

I tried a pair of VJ Maxxs after hearing so many good reviews. The outsole is indeed grippy, but the shoe is heavy, and the sole is thick. Unfortunately my feet ride high in the shoe and I got an inversion sprain in them because of the amount of padding and grip combined with strange fit (for me), so they felt stable until they weren’t. The only other time I got a bad inversion sprain was years ago in old Hoka Speedgoats with a similar scenario (high stack height and foot placement combined with aggressive grip and strange fit). So they kinda turn off proprioception (again at least for me), which is bad.

You might look at La Sportiva Kaptiva with 6mm of drop. I got rid of the Maxxs and immediately got these after the sprain. I have yet to fully push them as I continue to heal, but the bottom is actually *MORE* grippy than the Maxxs. It might wear a little quicker, though. TBD, but am impressed so far.