What you’ll really get is more protection for your ankle from debris, and additional warmth from keeping things out of the interior of the shoe. I champion ankle mobility – let the ankle flex, keeping your knees from having to take on that job, which they do a very poor job performing. You will get a small amount of extra ankle support – especially if you tighten down the laces, but without a stiff sole of a hiker, it won’t feel like a cast – which in my opinion, isn’t what you want. The Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX shoe is made for variable conditions and all-day comfort. And obviously, this isn’t the shoe to wear during a competitive Vertical K (try the VK Boa). 470 grams) and most definitely not like a heavier hiker which may feature a stiffer midsole and outsole. ![]() Other than the small amount of weight added by the top part of the upper, it feels just like the regular Ultra Raptor (343 grams vs. For one of my Nolans 14 attempts, I picked the Ultra Raptor for its comfy upper and sticky outsole as a stared down endless miles of talus. The outsole is perfect for scrambling on wet and dry rock – far better than the chunky Mutant, which you may want to wear down a bit to get that perfect balance of tread that the Ultra Raptors already have out of the box. ![]() The Ultra Raptor (OG and II) also don’t have a chunky outsole or the built-in spikes the Blizzard GTX has, so for running on snow with the Ultra Raptors, you’ll want a pair of microspikes. If you are looking specifically for a Winter GTX trail runner with a built-in gaiter, look no further than the Blizzard GTX. The Ultra Raptors actually fit a gaiter well, as the outsole has a depression in front of the heel to allow the strap to lay flush with the sole, rather than stick out, where it’ll get damaged over time. A lightweight trail running gaiter may not reach the top of the shoe, so pick out a short gaiter made for hiking boots instead. The upper of this shoes won’t act so much like a gaiter when it comes to keeping snow out of the shoe, so if you are planning to post hole for hours on end, I’d suggest pairing this shoe with an actual gaiter. I’m quite excited to use the Ultra Raptor II’s now for such missions. I use these hiking crampons extensively when climbing up couloirs in the Spring. The upper strap will rest on the upper of the shoe, rather than digging into my foot. The same can be said for pairing these shoes with a hiking crampon, like the trail running compatible models Kahtoola puts out. The mid-height of the upper works well with a strap binding system of snowshoes – I feel that the straps bite less into my ankle and that the padding on top of the shoe does a good job with protecting my ankles from these straps. Snowshoes and Crampons Summiting Green Mountain in a blizzard with the Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX The all-black colorway won’t get too tarnished from such abuse either – rather the mud will act upon the upper as nothing but a hard-won patina. The mid top allows me to hike right through even the most muddy of trails, rather than trying to sneak around the worst of it (tsk tsk, the keepers of LNT will rightfully finger wag at me), while keeping my feet nice and dry. Depending on the elevation and terrain on even the local hills, I’ve been tramping through fresh snow, climbing up wet trails, and traversing over ankle-sucking mud – all in the same day. The Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX is the perfect shoe for sloppy conditions, like the ones we’re experiencing here in April on the Front Range of Colorado. So what would you use the Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX for? Winter and Shoulder Seasons Sloppy Conditions are perfect for the Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX (The Nucleo High II GTX hiker is also available now in a wide size – perhaps we’ll see more La Sportiva models coming in wide in the future?) I haven’t put on a pair of those myself, as the regular fit is good enough for me, but if you’ve always demurred away from La Sportiva because of a too-narrow of a fit, here’s a model to take a serious look at. The new hotness is that this shoe is available in WIDE sizes. If any of those shoes fit you well, size the same as those. I myself don’t fit all Sportiva models – the Bushido for example is too narrow of a shoe for me, but I do fit into the Lycan I and II, Mutant, Blizzard GTX, and a few other models pretty well. As far as I can tell, the mid and outsole are also the same as the Ultra Raptor as well. ![]() If you’re already a fan of the Ultra Raptor, you’ll find the Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX fits practically the same, as the last (Tempo 2) is the same, and the upper similar – just you know: taller, with a nylon cuff that adds an additional shoelace eyelet. What’s to become of the OG Ultra Raptor?.
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