RAPTOR

Anders - Carbondale, CO

09.30.11

Have thoroughly enjoyed my Raptors. Have run two ultras in them and have never received a blister. Check out a personal video review of the shoe. http://vimeo.com/29834734

Zanne - Sexsmith, AB

08.12.11

These are the most amazing trail runners!!! The grip on them was insane! Ran the Death Race in Grande Cache Alberta & my trails was full of rocks & mud for 21km, never slipped once but watched everyone else slip & slide all over the place! You HAVE to try them - will NOT be disappointed!

Jeremy - Tipp City, OH

07.20.11

I can tell you now these shoes are awesome. I actually use them hiking 5 miles and rock climbing in them everyday. I am a Program Counselor at Miners Park at Philmont Scout Ranch, site of the hardest climbing in the whole ranch (5.8 and a 5.6). These damn things just stick to everything, from rock, sandy trails. I can also say they stick so well that they saved my life when I was doing some bouldering. No blisters either!!!!

Bruce G. - Delta, BC

04.09.11

I recently ran the 330km Tor des Geants race in my Raptors and had no blisters or foot pain. Nada. Nothing. What else needs to be said? End of review.

OK, seriously, my Raptors have become my go-to shoe for all trail conditions. The FriXionXF outsole is a sticky rubber compound and I find it really works well on the wet, rocky trails we have here in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Additionally, the tread pattern is aggressive enough to dig into sloppy muck and not slip when climbing, pushing off, or running downhill, and also provides great lateral traction when traversing off-camber slopes or making hard turns. The uppers wrap your foot comfortably without binding or creating pressure points, and provide excellent security and stability in irregular footing and rocky trails. For the terrain I run on, they work really well. Scrambling down a debris chute composed of large boulders, my feet stuck to the rock so well I felt like some kind of superhero crawling down a wall!

Shoe durability is very good: the uppers show no tearing or wear after several hundred miles, although the tread nubs are definitely worn and have lost their edge as is expected.

John T. - Boulder, CO

04.05.11

The La Sportiva Raptors I just got are awesome! Great heel-to-toe roll, really good traction, and they feel MORE like a shoe than the Wildcats. Definitely a shoe that I feel more comfortable training in compared to any of the others....

Luke N. - Pocatello, ID

04.05.11

Many times when we head to the mountains the equipment we choose can be essential to our safety and efficiency. There is a pure bliss that can be found while moving quickly through the high country. Last fall I set out to attempt breaking the speed record on Mount Borah, the highest peak in Idaho. As I packed for the trip I tossed a pair of Raptors in my duffle bag and it turned out that they were crucial in a successful bid at the record. The fit of the shoe is outstanding, my heels did not slip around in the shoe on the ascent, most of which is a greater than 30% grade, and as I hammered the descent my toes didn’t slam in to the front of the shoe because my foot was held in place so securely. The sticky outsole allowed for secure foot placement even on the tricky scramble up and down Chicken Out Ridge, I never worried about slipping which allowed me to move very quickly through the crux section of the route. As fatigue settled in late in the run, the toe bumper saved what would have likely been a broken toe, as I sloppily slammed my foot into a football sized rock in the middle of the trail. When I pulled the shoes off at the truck after breaking both the car to summit and the car to car records, I was happy to not find a single blister. On the drive home as I contemplated the time I spent on Mount Borah, it was very clear to me that the Raptor is the ideal shoe for moving fast in the mountains!

Simon - Boulder, CO

04.05.11

The Raptor quickly became my running shoe of choice. It's perfect for the variety of terrain I find on my local trail runs and provides the support I need due to pronation and too many days hammering single track.

Mark T. - Castro Valley, CA

04.05.11

-- sticky sole is great, feels nimbler than the Wildcats. Love these shoes. My first choice for racing ultras, barring frequent of deep puddles.

Write a Review