testing the la sportiva bushido in crested butte
I've run trails for over 20 years and have seen the many transformations of the "trail shoe". From a heavy shoe that resembled a low top hiking boot to a road shoe with dull colors and lugs, there's been a lot of sub-par shoes produced in the process. I started rock climbing in my early 20's and quickly grew fond of La Sportiva's ability to make a shoe that not only worked well but outlasted other brands. So when they started making trail running shoes, I was psyched to give them a try. I've been running in Sportivas for at least 3 years and have fallen in love with many of their models including the Skylite (discontinued), Helios (all around great
lightweight shoe for shorter distances and approaches to climbs), and the Anaconda (nice flatter shoe with fell-racing type cleats).
Fast forward to 2014 or maybe even early 2013, La Sportiva crafted the Bushido. I was able to test the shoe initially in Crested Butte on some mellow trails with minimal rock and they left a good first impression. I ordered a pair for both my wife and myself as soon as we got back from the trip (wife tested them and loved them as well). Six months later, they're my go-to shoe for all things trail. I still break out my Helios if I want to do a short quicker speed-type workout but for all else the Bushido are my shoe of choice.
Reason for the love
1) FIT: the upper fits like a glove, can be worn without socks, hugs your heel like a climbing shoe, has a roomy toe box but not sloppy - it still feels and runs fast
2) RUBBER: super sticky, works great on wet limestone slippery stuff, is holding up beautifully
3) BUILD: the upper is solid and holding together in lieu of the abuse I hand it, the sole shows little if any wear with almost 300 rocky miles
Give them a try if you like awesome shoes that feel light yet protective, stick to surfaces like velcro, and make your feet just plain happy to run on rocks.
La Sportiva Bushido
