La Sportiva Akasha

A burly trail runner meant for mountain runs or hikes.

I'm on my second pair of La Sportiva Akashas and figured it was time for a review. I've owned several pairs of La Sportivas, but these are the only ones to fit well. The others I've owned simply didn't have enough room in the toe box, these do. This is also La Sportiva's burliest trail runner.

I don't have overly wide feet, but do need a roomy toe box—not an easy proposition unfortunately. The Akashas fit snuggly in the heel and midfoot, where you want a shoe to fit snuggly.

These definitely have more volume than other La Sportiva's, possibly too much if their other shoes fit you.

A very comfortable shoe in rough (read rocky) conditions. The toe has good protection as does the sole and midsole. The drop is a very reasonable 6mm (I'm not sold on 0 drop for myself).

I'm pretty sure La Sportiva makes the stickiest outsoles of any manufacturer, no doubt due to their extensive lineup of climbing shoes—the Akashas are nice and sticky. The lugs are on the large side and grip well in loose and muddy conditions. For a trail runner on the burlier side, these are still plenty responsive and nimble.

The shoes are very durable, despite being used in harsh environs. I retired my first pair with about 750-ish miles and could probably gotten more miles out of them. I've used them on multi-day adventure races, mountain trail races, scrambling, and general trail running.

For shorter distances and less hostile environs, I might choose a lighter and possibly more nimble shoe, but for longer distances in rougher conditions, give these a look.