By Lisa Jhung
Ours testers included short-distance trail runners, competitive ultrarunners, casual hikers, and long-haul backpackers. All told, we had a couple hundred years of run-hike-climb experience between us. For two months last spring, in and around Boulder, Colorado, we put nearly as many miles on 30 different pairs of shoes while running, rock hopping, and even Class 5 scrambling. Plus, time tested running gear, from the lightest windbreaker on the market to the our favorite sports bra.
<Town-to- Trail>
Sometimes you have to slap pavement to get to the trailhead.
<Mountain Running>
These shoes love climbing and descending—and navigating jumbled terrain.
<Hike and Scramble>
Sometimes a walk leads to a Class 5 climb.
Columbia Conspiracy Titanium OutDry
Oboz Aurora [women’s only]
Ahnu Sugarpine WP [women’s only]
From our Early Summer 2016 issue.