This breathable and waterproof shoe provides traction, responsiveness and a light weight
feel on the trail.
It is the La Sportiva women’s Core High GORE-TEX boot.
And with La Sportiva’s mountain heritage, you can be certain that they are delivering
a lot of traction on different types of terrain.
But this boot is designed for someone who is moving fast and light.
The first thing that stood out to me and grabbed my attention about this shoe is the construction
of the upper.
So you have got a flexible, yet very supportive web that wraps around the entire foot, the
entire upper part of this shoe.
That is La Sportiva’s Nano Cell technology.
And this is a completely synthetic upper and, like I said, that supportive web really hugs
your foot and gives a lot of good support as you are moving fast.
This is going to flex just enough and it is also going to provide stability there.
So it is a really interesting design in the upper part.
And this is also you have got air mesh underneath of that web.
So it is a very light weight, very breathable shoe.
But it is also GORE-TEX.
So GORE-TEX gives you complete waterproof protection and offers breathability.
So you are going to stay nice and dry, nice and cool in this shoe.
The eyelets here in the upper, they keep it nice and light weight.
You have got fabric eye-lets that are strategically placed.
You can really cinch down the laces here if you need to.
But the tongue here underneath the laces is gusseted.
So you have got waterproof protection most of the way up the shoe.
The inside of this is very cushiony and soft.
So on the inside of the upper part, you know, I can see this being really comfortable if
you really need to bear down on those laces and make it tight on the top.
You have a little bit of an asymmetrical design as well.
So that kind of contours to the shaping of your feet.
Light weight laces here and just over all you have got overlays in the places where
you need more durability.
So you have got some overlays here in the back, a nice heel counter so that is going
to stay nice and stable over time.
And then you have got protection here on the front on your toes.
There is a couple of different materials at play in the midsole.
You have got durable compression molded EVA foam.
So that is going to last a long time.
It is not going to break down easily.
It is not going to break down fast.
But it is very light weight and provides comfortable cushioning.
There are also TPU inserts in key areas in the midsole.
So that provides a lot more stability where you need it.
So it protects from rocks on the trail.
Here in the heel you have got a couple of different materials that are going to keep
your heel nice and comfortable and just overall this shoe is very flexible.
Again, it has got in mind people, hikers, backpackers who are moving fast.
So you have got a lot of flexibility, a really comfortable out of box feel.
Here on the bottom of the shoe on the outsole you have really high quality rubber.
It is Vibram Nano Rubber.
And what you can expect from La Sportiva here is a lot of traction.
So it is kind of sticky rubber.
You have got really good lugs going all the way up the shoe.
There is a little bit of a heel here on the back so you have a little bit more height
there.
But the thing to point out on the heel of this shoe is the Impact Brake System.
You have got really nice lugs here on the back.
So as you are moving fast, if you are moving fast downhill you are not going to feel like
you are slipping around on the trail.
This is going to give you really good traction.
So, again, that whole idea of moving fast and light with a light weight boot like this.
There is small attentions to detail that are going to make a really big difference.
To add to the comfort of this shoe, you have got a really light weight and breathable Ortholite
liner.
This is removable.
So if you have your own insoles or custom fit orthotics, it is really easy to take these
out and to replace it with your own.
But overall these, again, they are just cushiony, nice and comfortable and provide some extra
cushioning inside the shoe.
Overall, again, a really nice out of box feel.
So with all those synthetic materials, they don’t require a big break in time at all.
I found them to be pretty true to size.
I wear a women’s eight and a half and eight and a half here seems to fit me really well.
They are best for medium width feet.
I tend to prefer shoes that are a little bit wider in the toe box and I didn’t mind these
at all.
You know, they are wide enough.
They give you enough room here in the toe box for your toes to splay.
So all in all, they just are really comfortable, again, with the idea that you are going to
be moving fast and light, but you are also carrying a pack.
These are the La Sportiva women’s Core High GORE-TEX shoes.