Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Another question on trail running shoes

I know this topic has been addressed here before, but I would appreciate any additional input.

I have always hiked in a very light pair (Lowa) of hiking shoes, not hiking boots. I spent the last 3 days hiking up by Kearsarge pass and at Mammoth and I noticed many hikers using trail running shoes even when they did no trail running, just walking/hiking. The two brands everyone seemed to be wearing were Solomon and New Balances.

My question is: how do the soles hold up on long hikes with scree, boulders and rocks, like Whitney? Do these trail running shoes provide enough ankle support, do the soles cushion your feet against sharp rocks? I don't do any trail running, just hiking, would these shoes be suitable?

I like the idea of less weight on the foot, also something less rigid than a light hiking shoe I've been using. But I hike many trails with lots of rocks and worry about whether a trail running shoe would be good.

Any suggestions from people who know about these types of shoes? Many thanks!

I know there is much disagreement about this topic but here goes nothing.
Brands: Lots of good ones out there such as Montrail, North Face, New Balance, Solomon, and more. Go with what fits you. I get a great fit from NF but not Montrail. You may find NB to be best.
Sole wear: The soles and uppers wear well relative to running shoes. I retire mine from running activities after about 400 miles. The Whitney trail isn't that hard on them. Never had one fail via delamination or anything.
Support and cushioning: This really depends on how strong your ankles and feet are. Ankle support is minimal and ankle protection from occasional contact is nil. If you have ankle or foot mechanic problems then they may not be for you. Cushioning really varies from model to model with some offering more or less than others. Again this is a personal choice and frankly might depend on your own body weight and how "strong" your feet are. I'd be happy with a regular running shoe on a trail like Whitney and don't even look for a trail running shoe designation but I have good mechanics, strong feet and ankles, and 1000's of miles of experience with this type of travel. Some of the off-the-shelf insoles such as Superfeet enhance the protection from stone bruises on the bottom of your feet. If you use orthotics you may find some brands better for you. One final note about support that is important, I think. You will probably notice that you have far less edging leverage with running shoes as compared to your hiking boots. This might be important to you if you like to venture on to some Class 3 stuff from time to time. Your feet may tire more quickly in these situations. I was on some Class 5.3 stuff last week - me in my boots and another guy in his running shoes. I was glad to have my Asolos on the rock but coveted his running shoes on the approach and departure.

A few years ago we did a day hike up the Mountaineers route in late June. A member of our group wore his high top tennis shoes. I thought the off trail boulders would render his shoes mush. They held up fine, making me wonder about carrying the extra weight of my big and strong (and heavy) hiking boots.

Hello Candace,

I agree with Scott. Here my input..

A couple of months ago I was looking for the best light approach/cross-train
I could afford and settled for the Vasque Velocity (28 oz a pair)

So far I used the pair on loong day-hikes and have summited five peaks 14ft+
Shoes felt so confortable and held well..A sample of the terrain..

June: MT Whitney: 21 mile round trip. Snow, rocky terrain
Mt Muir : Class 3 rock scramble
Mt Langley: 22 mile round trip 3rd class rock, snow, muck, talus
White Mt : 14 mile round trip. some talus and lots of open trail.

July
Mt Tyndall: 24 mile round trip. Class 2 and some 3. boulders, talus

Not having Gortex was a draw back in a few cases..

There's evidence of wear in a few places due to the rough treatment however,
these still show very well and I wore them to the office today.

btw, my daughter bought an identical pair. My wife purchased a pair but
her foot is narrow and the shoe was a bit too roomy for her so she
return them.

Javier

Candace, My eleven year old daughter (tennis shoes) and I (lightweight running shoes) may have been among those you recently saw in the Mammoth backcountry. These shoes served us well during a two day ramble from Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows on the JMT on Tues and Weds. (Snow forced us to go cross country coming off Donohue Pass.)
The same running shoes recently worked well on the Main Trail and the Mountaineers Route to Whitney. This Thursday my daughter and I will hopefully summit Whitney by the Onion Valley route over Kearsarge Pass and down the JMT. Scott M gives good advise. I may further add that I discard my running shoes from trail service after no more than about 200 miles as the midsoles seem to wear out well before the uppers. Worn running shoes have not served me well. However, frequently replacing running shoes has been a costly undertaking.
A recent post on this board noted that using short gaiters can be helpful with running shoes. This is a good point. On some terrain I must make frequent stops to empty my shoes of dirt and rocks. Not doing so is an invitation for blisters.
Another point is that shoes are very individual. Listen to your body and go with what seems best for you.
Finally, low body weight and pack weight probably makes life easier on our faithful feet. And feet are important in hiking and climbing!
Happy hiking, Jim F

I have hiked across the grand canyon 9 times,whitney
around 5 times and various other trail hikes and races never have I had a foot problem with trail shoes,I can't see the need for boots unless you need crampons.

It seems to me that the Whitney trail is after all just a trail...why wouldn't tennis shoes be fine? Hiking boots are built tougher for off trail boulder scree stuff, like the Mountaineers Route. Unless you are carrying a heavy pack, stick with a lighter shoe on the trail.

My trail running shoes have amount 200 miles of trail hiking. My running miles are accumulated on another shoe, so it is all hiking miles. I have gone up Half Dome cables, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Dana, Cloud's Rest, and countless other places on the same pair of trail running shoes. Had a few water crossings with shoes totally submerged. Even a few easy traverses in snow fields. Mostly class 1 hiking, a few class 2. No problems at all.

I wonder if I have super ankles over time from trail hiking and running. Maybe muscle memory is helping, because I really don't have any need for ankle support beyond the minimum provided in running shoes. I also don't have any foot blister problems. I put in a lot of miles, so I don't think it's luck.

I really appreciate all the input, thank you to everyone. You have convinced me that trail running shoes, or even plain old tennis shoes might be preferable to a hiking shoe. Every time I do Whitney my feet really hurt the last 4-5 miles and I think the weight of the boot might be the culprit. I do Whitney again on Friday and I will use the trail running shoes (NB's) that I've broken in the past 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for your valuable first-person stories about shoes.

Newer hiking boots will have many of the desirable qualities of running shoes. There's no faster way to shred your $200 pair of Nikes, or whatever, than a long scree run. But trails with soft pine duff would be fine for those things. The sharp edged rock on the upper portion of the Whitney Trail might hurt your investment. You can get great lightweight boots on the clearance racks, at say, REI. They are springy, comfortable if fit right, and I've walked hundreds of miles in a $50 pair. No blisters, or hot spots. You will have to know how to fit them, as the sales help ignores you if you're looking at the clearance rack. They'll direct you to the high margin items. I've even heard a sales rep claim that the $400 plastic boots are because there isn't enough leather from cows to make boots!

I stated earlier on this board that I did Mt. Humphreys (13,986', class 4) with a pair of "Sierra Sneakers," the early model of the lightweight boot/shoe. The rest of the group had on the heavy clunky mountaineering boots, because the wisdom of the time (quite malicious) said that's what you get and wear! I beat them back to the cars by 0.5 hour, even with waits. I was sold on LW boots, but even to recent times, some will still say you wear the feet-killers. Those people don't hike much!

But I do go through, maybe, a pair of nylon boots each year, if it is a good climbing season for me.