La Sportiva Akasha

Veer left to vault a fallen log.  Dodge right to skim across 20 yards of gully-washed talus.  Akasha’s there for the ride to navigate it all – including signposted trails.  Testers felt the love from La Sportiva’s dual-injection, shock-absorbing midsole in a shoe that never lagged during accelerations.  Stack is on-the-money for longer miles by most runners, measuring 26mm at the heel and 20mm with a well-executed 6mm drop.  Despite the brand’s label of 11.35oz Akasha as a “wide fit” model, average feet won’t go swimming in the shoe thanks to the snug heel cup and smart flat lace system.  Heel-to-toe is how this one rolls with Trail Rocker Outsole Technology but Active Junky enjoyed sprinting obstacles with minimal ground contact as well. More like the Stealth rubber found on competitive footwear, the FriXion outsole gripped admirably to push higher and descend more quickly.