trail runners

[cinnepa]

picked up a pair of salomon xa comps from powstash a few weeks ago - great shoes, just wish the soles were a bit stiffer for the rocks/roots. anyone have a recommendation for a stiff sole trail runner?

[Elkhound Odin]

I like my Montrail Hardrocks.

[Big Blue]

If the salomons are a good fit for you I'm guessing you have a narrow foot. If so, you might want to take a look at some La Sportivas. They make a wide variety of trail runners, some with a lot of support. www.sportiva.com

[Big Blue]

I like my Montrail Hardrocks.

If the XAs fit well, the montrails would probably be a little wide.

[cinnepa]

If the salomons are a good fit for you I'm guessing you have a narrow foot. If so, you might want to take a look at some La Sportivas. They make a wide variety of trail runners, some with a lot of support. www.sportiva.com

thanks, checking it out now.

[Arty50]

Vasque Velocity

The GTX version adds Gore-tex if you want that too.

I don't trail run but buy these for general use. The soles are great in snow. Best of all, they last forever. I'm on my third pair, and each of the first two have lasted well over a year. I used to wear Nikes before and was lucky to have a pair last 6 months.

[coastal]

I'm a huge Montrail fan but have pretty wide, brick-like feet. I've been running their Hardrock Wide and Hurricane XCR for the past year and a half and they're awesome... Perfect fit (for me), awesome stability, durability and traction.

I tried the North Face 103 XCR and it fit great too, but blew through three pairs on warranty in just over two months, at which time I received a refund. Was stoked about the shoe as it fit so well and was super waterproof, but the treads kept on delaminating from the midsoles.

I also bought a pair of New Balance 907's in the Spring, and they didnt' work for me... The heel's base is almost a full 1cm narrower than anything else I've had in the past, something I totally overlooked when buying. They're also posted to help with pronation (something I didn't need but figured it couldn't hurt) and on my very first run I absolutely trashed my left ankle with a rollover and took a month to fully heal. Anyways, not meaning to bag on New Balance but just a couple details you might want to consider.

All that said though, as mentioned it sounds like you've got a narrower foot... Sportiva would be a good choice but perhaps something else in the Montrail line? Their website's getting updated right now but IIRC, some of their models are built in narrower lasts.

[upallnight]

my sportiva exum ridges are great, but they lack any real support for rocks and roots (due to a more malleable sole for climbing). i have no problem trail running in them, or taking them up garnet with a 70# pack.

my sportiva 'colorado trails' have a more firm sole that is better for direct hits to rocks and roots, but it is a touch heavier and a bit worse at climbing actual rock (which you probably don't care about).