UKC

Lightweight footwear for welsh 3000ers

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
SethChili 18 Jul 2013
I am intending to do the welsh 3000ers in 24 hours or with an overnight bivvy somewhere , later in august .
I have been told by many people that with a good few years of walking and scrambling experience behind I could easily do fast and light walking trips wearing something like an inov8 rocklight fell running shoe which would feel '' so much lighter than leather boots '' . Would this make much of a difference in terms of fatigue at the end of the day or just be a way of spending lots of cash and ending up falling off Crib Goch ?
Opinions please
In reply to SethChili: I would do it in fell shoes but that's me. Boots are too heavy for it I think. Light is right.
 Banned User 77 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: Much better.. rocklites probably a nice option too.. see what fits. A reasonable cushion will help which the roclites have.

In reply to SethChili: Some prefer shoes, others boots; there's no right answer and the 'light is always right' school of thought definitely won't suit everyone. I'd go boots myslef coz I like the support and as I'm no runner a few grams here or there won't make much difference, especially when carrying bivvy gear anyway. Dittop for scrambling - I like nice stiff edgey soles personally. If you do decide shoes then it may take time to work up to doing big routes like this; jump straight in and you might risk injuring your feet. Whatever you do, don't buy something specifically for the Welsh 3000-ers without giving them a good few days' use in advance. Even if you're wearing soft fell shoes a poor fit will be crippling.
 Shani 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:
> I am intending to do the welsh 3000ers in 24 hours or with an overnight bivvy somewhere , later in august .
> I have been told by many people that with a good few years of walking and scrambling experience behind I could easily do fast and light walking trips wearing something like an inov8 rocklight fell running shoe which would feel '' so much lighter than leather boots '' . Would this make much of a difference in terms of fatigue at the end of the day or just be a way of spending lots of cash and ending up falling off Crib Goch ?
> Opinions please

I've done the W3K in a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and it was fine for the most part, although on the Carneddau section (which we did last), fatigue set in and some of the summits on this part are rock-strewn making the odd stubbing of toes a problem! I'd definitely go with lightweight footwear if I did it again.
 Mr Fuller 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: I've done it walking in boots (heavy, hot, exhausting) and running in a pair of New Balance road shoes. The road shoes were great for 80% of it, but running down wet scree off Crib Goch in the pissing rain was pretty character building. I'd choose Inov8 fell shoes or similar if doing it again.
 Banned User 77 18 Jul 2013
In reply to Mr Fuller: I walked the 1000m peaks in road shoes and had sore soles by the end.. I think from small rocks protruding through.
SethChili 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: Would doing it in Addidas Kanadia Trail 5 trail running shoes be possible (basically beefed up road shoes - not the best on rock ) ? I suppose so after that chap and his 5 fingers ...
 Exile 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:

I've walked it once over three days and run it once in about nine and a half hours, (I think?) wore fell running shoes both times.
 Banned User 77 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: If its dry and you are used to them.. depends on the person though..
 Mr Fuller 18 Jul 2013
In reply to IainRUK: Yeah, I had no other suitable shoes at the time and thought it was going to be dire, but it wasn't too bad. My trainers were pretty worn out from road use but were still like running on mattresses, so I didn't have too many problems, apart from the stuff where an aggressive tread would have helped. Better weather would have helped (a lot) too.
 stevieb 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:
I did the Welsh 3000s in Inov8 goretex shoes, and if I did it again I would do the same, but as already said;
the southern half has lots of rocky sections and thinner soles mean you will feel the rocks far more.
the extra flex in the shoes is mostly good, but does mean different parts of your feet get tired.
less ankle support.
Removed User 18 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: Inov8 roclite 400, leather boots which weigh less than most trainers, I've just done half of the Cape Wrath Trail wearing them bloody brilliant they even coped with the snow that fell en route.
 GeoffRadcliffe 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: Depending on the conditions you may want to choose your footwear accordingly. Particularly after rain, some sections can be quite boggy (dependent on the route taken). I prefer to keep my feet dry and so I wouldn't wear trainers. I have found the rocky slabs on the upper Carneddau section can be quite greasy and I was slipping around on it wishing I had footwear with better grip.

As Dan suggests, wear something that fits well and that is comfortable. Blisters can be very painful. If you have weak ankles (like me) then you may pefer something that gives you some ankle support. The scrambling bits aren't too hard if you are used to scrambling. Glyder Fach is possibly the most awkward summit (rather than hard).
 coombsy 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:
Did this with 3 sets of footwear which was great. Boots for the Snowdon/Crib Goch section. Trainers stashed under a rock in the pass which were used for the Glyders. Another set of trainers stashed by the roadside at foot of Tryfan were used for the Carnedds. The trainers were just running shoes which were perfect for the majority of the Glyder n Carnedd sections, even despite greasy rocks.
Friends I did it with were a jealous of the dry socks n footwear cos they got sweaty and wet feet which became pretty sore.
Good luck!
 mbh 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:

I walked it in May in boots, Salamon Quests, or something. They were fine, but spare socks are a boon for when your feet get sweaty, to avoid blisters. I did it north to south and changed after the Carnedds. Last year, we tried it from the south and failed before we even got to the start! In the same boots, my feet were soaking, in the pouring rain, within an hour of leaving Pen y Pass. When I did the northern two sections a couple of days later, the several boggy sections, particularly on the lower descent parts of Elidir Fawr were so bad that a soaking was unavoidable. Take spare socks!

I did the northern half of the GR20 in Inov8s a couple of years ago. It was dry, rocky and I was really happy with the shoes, bar the odd clonk from pointy rocks. If I had a pair of Inov8s now, in the dry, and wanted to go fast over the Welsh 3000s, I'd wear them. And take spare socks.

I wore road shoes for the Welsh 3000s 25 years ago, again north to south, had wet feet for hours and hours, which became white, very puffy and painful feet by the time I got to Snowdon. Should have taken spare socks!

This time, we bivvied at the lake under Drum at the north end then set off at 4am for Foel Fras. That was good. We didn't leave stashes of footwear along the route, but did leave water under rocks in the Ogwen valley, for a refill as we walked along it before going up Tryffan.

The day after, I retrieved the tent at the northern end and the water bottles from the Ogwen.

Good Luck!
 mbh 19 Jul 2013
In reply to coombsy:

That's a bit Chris Froome! (good idea, why didn't I do that?....)
 Cobbler 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili:

I did 6 Munros last week (inc Braeriach) in Kanadia TR4s. First time I'd used such light shoes (other than for trail running)and it was a revelation!
trollman 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: also try inov8 flyroc 310, they have super grip in wet, thick soles so you don't
Feel rocks through the sole and light weight, also good prices around, just brought
a new pair from rat race. Def do in trail shoes if the sole is stiff enough, enjoy!
T
trollman 19 Jul 2013
In reply to trollman: Also nice wide roomy shoe so plenty of room for toes and socks
T
andymac 19 Jul 2013
In reply to SethChili: I`ve been wearing La Sportiva Crosslites for the past month or so on the hills.

have found them to be excellent.
almost knackered now ,but I would get another pair.0nly £60.

Leather boots can f*ck off.

Meindl Burmahs are starting to fall apart after 4 trips on the hills.and they weigh a ton.
 wilkesley 21 Jul 2013
In reply to andymac:
I have used Inov8 Rclite 295's for almost all my walking and scrambling outside of winter for the last three years. You soon get used to having wet feet. Your feet will soon dry out in most conditions. Even if t rains all day, I now prefer wearing my Roclites and find having wet feet all the time doesn't worry me.

I would suggest taking spare socks and changing on very long days. Also like most boot/shore options it doesn't work for everyone. Probably best to try it out on shorter walks before using them on the Welsh 3000's.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...