I like having two pair of trail shoes for varying trail conditions. For rough stuff or for the long ultras, I go with my Montrail Vasques. They keep my soles isolated from the rough trail surface. Otherwise I go with my Saucony XTERRA's, a lighter, seemingly faster shoe.

Tom
I live in the mountains and 90% of my local running is on trails. About 2 months ago I picked up a pair of Aisics Gel Eagle Trail 2's and I really like them. the fit is comparable to my Street running shoe but with excellent cushioning and stability. the tread pattern seems to grab really well [no face plants yet]
I haven't put enough miles on them yet to see how durable they will be [<50 miles] the toe box holds my size 12 wide feet quite nicely
Eric

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"on your Left"

does anyone race xterras with xc spikes? i'm sure it depends on the course, but what are the majority of people wearing ? trail shoes, road flats, waffles, spikes? thanks

I've owned North Face and Montrail shoes. I still have the Montrail's and love them, I did some long running/climbing days in the cascades. The North Face's got torn uppers very quickly and basically broke in half in just a few months. I worked as an outdoor footwear cobbler in a former life. NF shoes were always coming in with little bits torn off or stitches blown. Too many pieces on the uppers for style, in general. As far as GTX goes, I never took in a pair of GTX shoes that didn't have holes worn through the liner from people's toe nails or heals. You get some dirt in there and the friction wears through the lining very quickly. Once the goretex is full of body oil and dirt it doesn't work anymore and gets some peoples feet very sweaty. The whole goretex footwear thing started, in part, because one of the head buyers at a LARGE outdoor retailer told several manufacturers they wanted gortex. Some companies refused and were dropped by the retailer.

I live in Calgary where we have little snow but a lot of ice in the winter. One product that works really well for traction on ice is Yaktrax. They are like a toe rubber that slides over the bottom of your shoe. There are bands with metal coils on them that dig into the ice. They make it possible to run in winter without having to switch to a trail shoe. They are thin enough not to notice through the soles of the shoes.

We had one run a couple weeks ago where everyone without Yaktrax had to turn back due to ice. Most people I have talked to that tried them were surprised at how well the work.

Hi Brent,

Thanks for the tip on Yaktrax. Where do you get them? Also, since you live in Calgary, any tips on hiking in Banff at his time of year. Looks like I might be there over the 13, 14 , 15 of February. What's the ski hook-up? Best places to go? Any inpout appreciated- a nice day hike around Banff would be awesome.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom,

Yaktrax sell the propuct on their web site www.yaktrax.com They also have a "store locator" page.

I'll check into the Banff winter hiking conditions for you. Are you looking for downhill or cross country ski info?

Thanks Brent! Downhill and whatever day hikes may be available. Thanks again!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Most XTERRA runs can be done with road shoes or lightweight trail shoes. (This is based on around 15 XTERRA run courses.)


I have Yak Trax and they work well as long as you're not running on clear pavement. When the conditions vary from clear pavement to ice, they can make for an awkward run.

Another option is to screw an old pair of shoes: http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

And, I read in a recent Trail Runner mag about a glue you put on your sole, then sprinkle grit in the glue. It sounds like a great solution for mixed conditions.

Tom,

The parks service web site for Banff hiking trail conditions is

http://www.discoveralberta.com/...nff/trailreport.html

For Banff ski hills there are three. Sunshine usually has the best snow (It can sometimes be slow to get up the hill from the parking lot so get there early). Lake Louise has the best runs (my personal favorite). Norquary is a small hill with black diamond and double diamond runs but little variety (Banff locals ski there since there are no tourist crowds).

Since downhill conditions change quickly the best thing is to ask what coonditions are like at the hotel when you get there. Right now the best conditions are on the BC side of the rockies (Pannorama, Kimberly, etc) but that can change overnight.

I usually pick up a pair for running in the snow but the past few years I've used the Nike, New Balance and Fila models. They are not as heavy duty trail shoes as some that you mentioned but they are good in the snow.

Current ski conditions are availabe at:
http://theweathernetwork.com/features/ski/skiAB.htm

They will also be posted every morning in the lobby of every hotel in Banff.

A nice hike that gets used a lot in the winter is Sulphur Mountain. Start at the Sulphur hot springs parking lot (1-2k from Banff?) and hike to the top.. then take the gondola down for free! And at the bottom you can soak in the hot springs. Bring a bathing suit.

A longer trail for the hardcore is the hike from Banff to Canmore along the base of Mt Rundle. I think its about 15-18k? Catch a shuttle or hitchhike back from Canmore... or do a round trip! Great in the summer.. probably damn tough in the winter.

I've done all my trail and cross-country running with road shoes, have not noticed that I need a trail-specific shoe. A couple of trail marathons, and 10 seasons of x-country, what with school, university, and military teams. Obviously I picked a shoe with a decent tread, and reasonable support, not a smooth-soled racing flat.

That said, I did notice at the Leadville 100, many if not most runners were wearing Montrails. I'd probably try a pair if I was getting back into trail running.

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"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview

I've been running a New Balance 705 in the snow and ice and have been impressed. I've had plantar fascia problems and have good luck with NB shoes on reccomendation of my podiatrist.

I use the adidas supernova trail. An awesome shoe that I even use on the road for long stuff. Great durability, great traction, feels light (isn't but feels), supper stable but it's not waterproof.

I've been trail running for under 2 years now and the only pair of trail specific shoes I have are made by a Swedish company called Icebug. These shoes are not for fairwheather running (they're too heavy) , these are for the nasty days, snow,mud and anything else slippery. The secret is that they have a handful tiny hardened steel cleats that grip on softer surfaces and retrack on the hard surfaces - like rock or pavement. I've run in loose sand, on and over slippery logs, rock, ice and snow. Their stylin', ruggedness, and grip all work great for me.

http://www.icebug.se/...et.asp?iProductID=17

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put the mettle to the pedal