Though I prefer mono points for true vertical waterfall ice, these things are great for just about all else. I have used the prior iteration of these things in the cascades, colorado, ecuador and peru and they have served well on everything from glacier jaunts to serious alpine routes. Ignore the foolish recall review...these are the updated version (and, from everyone I've talked to, even the recalled version was pretty much bomber - petzl was just being extremely cautious in recalling the originals).

This is a case where the star-system really doesn't make sense. For someone with feet like mine, this shoe should get zero stars. I have now given these shoes three different shots with three different sock/liner/footbed combinations - and each one of them has resulted in my heels being absolutely torn to shreds after less than three miles of running - a feature of the shoe that was definitely not evident when I initially tried them on or even ran around in them a bit. I know of at least one other trail runner who has had similar experiences. That said, I also know a guy who loves these things, who has had absolutely no heel rub and would readily give these shoes 5 stars. If not for the rampant destruction of my heel, I, too, would consider these shoes wonderful. They are light, have a very low profile and are very good on rough or damp terrain - especially given their weight. I would suggest just being very careful in determining the fit and whether heel rub might be an issue given the fact that the back of the shoe is not well-padded and does not come up as high as most other trail shoes (including most other inov-8 models).