La Sportiva Akasha Women's

Field Notes: La Sportiva is another one of those companies that has been providing mountaineers with exceptional footwear for a long time, especially to women engaged in sports where they may be overlooked. The Akasha is a high-performance women’s trail running shoe built to protect you from even the most challenging of terrains. The combination of mesh and a poly leather blend makes this a stable and supportive shoe for those of us braving the trails this winter. 

The Cushion Platform of this trail shoe makes the Akasha perfect for long training days, and the Dual-Injection shock-absorbing Memlex EVA essentially means lots of cushion without lots of weight. The tread is made of a supremely grippy climbing rubber La Sportive has termed FriXion XT. The superb rubber lets you take these in all seasons (especially the muddy ones), and the tread has lugs built in opposing slanting directions, increasing your braking power (definitely helpful during those ridgeline runs). Lastly, La Sportiva continues to provide one of the best protective rubber toecaps to date. 

Akasha comes in one colorway – Fjord, with turquoise base and yellow accents – ranging in half euro sizes 36 to 43 (US 5 to 11) to fit most feet. The stack and drop height are average for the trail running category, with 26mm heel stack and 6mm toe drop.

Tester Comments: “Totally light weight, we rejoiced that it didn’t feel like running in hiking boots. Tough, responsive, and a tread with a death grip, this shoe is everything you want on rocky, rooty trails.”

Pros: The FriXion XT make the Akasha a bomber shoe on the muddy, eroding trails of winter. The protection of this shoe is uncompromised with toes, arches, and the upper foot being shielded from any onslaught of trail terrain. 

Cons: The tighter fit may surprise runners not familiar with La Sportiva. At times, despite its trail performance, this shoe can feel a bit bulky. 

Key Attribute: Quality