These sneaks are what you want for winter trail runs. I wear a size 7.5-8 in most shoes and I ordered the 39.0. In slushy and muddy conditions (I did not run the whole 5 miles in 4 inch slush or mud, however) and while splashing through small streams I did not get wet through the shoe. And to reply to another unsatisfied reviewer who was hoping for insulation, well these are a running shoe, if you are running or hiking in them with your mid-weight smartwools on, your feet should be plenty warm.the grip on the shoes is better than any other trail runners i've used, the tread is pretty aggessive. They were comfortable right out of the box. The gaiters are a little weird at first but hey, its a novelty. I leave the back gaiter clip attached to the heel because for some reason that one is really hard to get on. No big deal. The stiffness is a comfortable, supportive, secure one, even and well-distributed. I even wore these in an office all day just to see how they felt and they were great.

They were slightly stiff just out of the box, but wore them on a 4 mile hike/run, and they were great. Didn't rub anywhere or give me any blisters. Haven't tried the gaiters yet, but they seem like they'll do the trick. Actually runs true to size, ulike a lot of other brands.

La sportiva in my opinion makes quality shoes! I also found Backcountry to be very easy and helpful to communicate with and plan on ordering from them in the future! I waited for a couple of months before writing a review on the shoes to get a chance to wear them. They do keep my feet dry and the gators are pretty damn cool. They aren't that long but they do the trick for walking/running on snow and are really easy to put on and take off the shoes. The shoe does rise up into my ankle bone which bothers me on sideways lunges. However thicker socks do help and they are my winter tennis shoes anyhow. After a little time I have found they don't bump into my ankle bone as much. I did not have that problem with the non gortex version of these trail runners but I figure it has a slight rise in order to keep snow out??? Don't know. Had I tried them on I wouldn't have gone for anything that bumps my ankle but wearing them has decreased that issue. Regardeless of the shoe I am still impressed with Backcountry and their quick customer communication.

The ultranords are the best trail shoe I have trained with in the last 5 years. I had the immogenes for the summers and needed the waterproofness of the ultranords for the little streams and mud I encounter spring and fall on the trails. I usually wear 8.5/39 dress shoes;however, the ultranords that fit me perfectly are size 9/40.5 The gaiters around my ankles keep out all unwelcome stones and especially stickers in the summer and my laces protected from being packed with snow in the winter. I have great traction and confidence ascending/descending rocks. I definitely recommend this trail shoe.

I bought these shoes for bicycle commuting in the winter. The description suggested the shoes were designed for cold, wet weather and even come with mini-gaiters to keep snow out of the shoe. However, the shoe is much like any trail-running shoe and offers no extra insulation, padding or wind-proofing. The toe box is on the large side and the shock absorbency of soles is on the hard side. The gaiters are awkward to put on, so I'm not using them. Sizing seems true.

The La Sportiva Ultranord is a great winter trail running and hiking shoe. I got my normal size and found it to be a little tighter than I like (but I kept them anyways and don't mind anymore). I like the stiffer shoe, and the gaitors were really nice to have on scree.