La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0 Review

True to its category name called “Mountain Running”, La Sportiva introduces the Crosslite 2.0.  If you’re looking for a trail running shoe that only needs to cruse gravel paths, this shoe might not be for you. However, if you’re running technical trails with rock, ruts, mud, ice, snow, or other knarly obstacles, this shoe is a match made in heaven.

New balance 915 lugs vs. La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0 lugs

One of the features in the La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0 that sets it apart from many other trail running shoes on the market is its lug system.  The lugs on the Crosslite 2 provides amazing traction if you find yourself on technical terrain.  I tried to find terrain in the Rocky Mountains that would give this shoe a challenge, but I was unsuccessful.  Whether it was snow, ice, mud, rocks, etc, the Crosslite 2.o provided great stability and traction.  What most amazed me about the traction on this shoe was that it handled great downhill on snow and ice.  I personally have never come across a trail shoe with such great grip without using Yaktrax or screws.  As I mentioned above, if you are running gravel paths, these shoes would be overkill.

The upper of the La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0 is made of a tightly woven mesh that keeps pretty much all debris out, while still allowing for breathability. One area in which trail runners get a lot of dirt and debris in their shoes is along the tongue and lacing system.  To prevent dirt and debris from getting in, La Sportiva uses a flexible fabric that covers up to the top 2 lacing holes.  While running through mud, snow, and dry dusty trails, it was rare that I would get small stones and dirt in my shoe.

As “Mountain Runners” are often tough on the toe box of a trail shoe, it is important to have a reinforced toe box to keep you from losing toe nails and getting bruised toes.  There is lightweight layer of rubber covering much of the toe box to keep out mud and water and a thicker rubber that spans about two inches wide on the tip of the shoe.  With all these layers, I had no fear what-so-ever of damaging my precious toes.  The midsole of the La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0 is best for neutral runners as there is no posting in this shoe.  To allow for a small amount of stability, the shoes does use a small piece of hard plastic that wraps the shoe from the back of the heal to the midfoot.

If I had a complaint on this shoe, it would have to be the width of the toe box.  I found the toe box to be a little narrow, especially on longer runs.  For shorter runs, I didn’t notice the narrow toe width as much as I was doing a lot of bobbing and weaving and didn’t have much time to think about the room in the toe box.  For longer runs, I felt like my toes were being smashed together at times and the shoe became uncomfortable. This did not happen much, but if you have wide feet, I would definitely try the Crosslite 2.0 on before buying. If you have narrow feet, you should have no problems.

Overall, I was very impressed with the mountain running performance and look of the La Sportiva Crosslite 2.0.  This shoe not only performs for hardcore runners, it also looks pretty hardcore.  For more information, please visit Sportiva.com