Tried La Sportiva Akyra- they’re a no go :(

[Stumphges]

Yeah, you’re on the tail end of the supply/demand curve. Last year Sierra had the at $50 for many months.

[W I S N E R !]

they just need to work on the fit thing

Amen. I want to love them. Every time I pick up a pair they appear to be everything I’m looking for. But I’ haven’t found a single model that fits in any size. I wish they’d get over their opposition to making shoes in wide widths…

[Mike M]

^^ yeah I bought a couple of pairs from STP- should have bought everyone in my size they had

 

^ just wrote LaSportiva North America

Hello. I’m writing to find out why the Akasha was discontinued in North America? I and many (many) others have wearing them for several years and found them to be the most comfortable and sturdy trail running shoe available. They were the first pair of La Sportiva’s to fit my (and other’s) foot. Wide enough toe box while still keeping the heel and midfoot properly locked in.
I tried the newer Akyra, the toe box is simply too small and others who were looking for a replacement of the Akasha, found the same.

It appears they still are in the lineup in Europe AND in a myriad of colors.
What gives? There are a ton of folks that want the Akasha available stateside.

Looking forward to your response.

Mike M

[Stephen Seeber]

I was at the Boulder La Sportiva retail store yesterday.  The sales people knew their products well.  I was informed the Akasha is discontinued in the US, and as mentioned above, available in Europe.  I was told that La Sportiva shoes on sale in Europe cannot be imported to the US.  I do not know if authorized dealers overseas will sell them for US delivery, but it seems they are not permitted to do so by La Sportiva.  The Jackal is the shoe in the US the replaces the Akasha.  I tried one on.  Fit wise, I think it could work.  It is well cushioned.  I think toe protection is inadequate for me.  I also think the mesh would not work well for winter use for me. Based on my Topo experience, I am skeptical of the durability of complex thin outersole pieces glued onto the underlying midsole or rockplate and this is what is present on the Jackal.   I found two shoes might work for me, which I will try at home a bit before deciding.  These are ankle height boots.  For comparison, for a single shoe, the Topo Trailventure weighs 17 oz. (the new replacement version I got from REI  is already showing outsole failure after only 11 miles. I will get a refund on these before long.)  The Stream GTX weighs 20 oz and the Saber GTX weighs 18.5 oz.  Compared to the Lowa Baffin Pro boots, at 37 oz for one shoe, all are a substantial weight savings.  At this point, I think trail runner type shoes for hiking will wait until spring.

[Adam White]

Thanks for confirming and posting that, Stephen. I never thought that trail running shoes would be the item that caused me to dip my toe into the black market… How many bitcoin will illegally imported Akashas cost?

I had a little “Christmas morning” moment when I discovered another pair of brand new Akashas in my closet. This pushes out my concerns over a replacement until next year.

I have been wearing the Ultra Raptors, and am getting a fair amount of heel rubbing. I may need to size up again.

In the meantime, I’m going to give the Sportiva TX Guide approach shoes a shot. They’re on their way. In an Akasha replacement, I’m more concerned with performance off trail than on (I can use almost anything on trail and be fine, from Sportiva Wildcats to Hokas, to Nikes, etc.) Hoping an approach shoe can be comfortable enough for all day hiking while inspiring confidence on rock. I’ve never tried one before.

[Mike M]

you can buy Akasha’s from overseas all day long on eBay; the catch is they are full retail PLUS $20-30 for shipping :(

 

still haven’t got a response from email to La Sportiva; if I don’t get one soon I’m sure they will not like my next one

[Pedestrian]

I had a chance to try the TX Guide in person for a few minutes and they felt comfortable. But the owner of the shoes is not sold on them after a couple of hard approaches in the Sierra involving talus, scree, scrambling and climbing; he feels that he prefers the Akyra for longer approaches with a pack on and switch to climbing shoes when needed.

 

[Serge Giachetti]

Too bad, the akashas are a great shoe. I’ve been through a couple of pairs. I’ve been hiking in the salomon sense ride 3 this summer and these are great in similar ways. Great grip, similar drop/fit/ride to the akashas, except a little lower to the ground. The speedlace system doesn’t always work for me, but works well with these shoes. Great high route shoe but also rolls smoothly on trail.

[Mike M]

found a used pair on REI’s used site, said they were in excellent condition- hoping they were simply tried on and returned

 

[Ed Tyanich]

Hey Mike,

 

Wondering if you have ever tried the VJ shoes out of Finland. They are now available in North America.

 

https://vjshoesusa.com/

[Mike M]

Ed- I have not, the first I’ve heard of them.  Reviews look pretty solid and several mention a wide toe box.  Definitely worth exploring- thanks.

[Ed Tyanich]

Mike

I’ll send you a pm with a discount code.

[BlackHatGuy]

The MAXx is listed as a medium+ width (the other two are either medium, or narrow/medium). Ed, do you know if the medium+ would equate to a 2E width?

[Stephen Seeber]

I was back at the La Sportiva store today to return some shoes I purchased to try–too narrow.  The sales person looked up new products that are in the pipeline and found that come February they will begin carrying some wide widths.  So, there may be a La Sportiva in my future.

[Mike M]

there still may be hope :)

[Ed Tyanich]

I don’t know how the widths run but I’ll bet an phone call to VJ USA would guide you.

972-264-0846

 

[Stumphges]

Huge news:) Thanks Stephen.

[W I S N E R !]

Wide is a start…now if they’d just offer a size 14…

No Sasquatch in the EU I guess…

 

 

[Mike M]

well I didn’t have to re-email them :)

 

Hi Mike,

Thanks for reaching out about this! We apologize for our delayed response. We’ve been receiving a much higher number of requests than average. Here in North America we are more of a distribution center than anything else. This means the products we carry and stock here are driven primarily by what our local authorized dealers choose to carry. While the Akasha is a fantastic model, it was also an extremely niche product. Individual dealers were not having success selling them. This was also due to the customers that it did fit, were only purchasing them sporadically. Because of this, the Akasha was unfortunately discontinued here in North America.

For a similar fit to the Akasha, we would recommend the Kaptiva. The Kaptiva has a narrower, tubular, snug sock-like fit similar to the Akasha. The main difference between the models will be the cushioning. You will find the Kaptivas to have a softer, less densely cushioned underfoot. Depending on the type of support you like, this may be positive. This also comes in a waterproof GTXversion as well.

If you are looking for something with similar cushioning, we would recommend the Jackal. The Jackal is meant as a long distance trail shoe. It has denser cushioning in the forefoot to provide support and protect and moves to less densely cushioning towards the heel for comfort. Additionally, the Jackal has the widest and most voluminous toe box of any of our trail shoes, so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about there. This model also comes in a waterproof GTX version too. You will most likely want to size up from your normal street shoe size for the Jackals.

We hope some of this information helps you find a replacement for the Akashas. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns.

Happy Trails!

Dennis

[J-L]

This was also due to the customers that it did fit, were only purchasing them sporadically.

La Sportiva seems to be characterizing the Akasha’s durability as a negative :)

La Sportiva and Salomon both seem to make very high quality and relatively durable trail runners, but every model I’ve tried is either too narrow or has a very high heel-toe drop.

[Mike M]

They are (were) a very durable shoe; I would get a good 500 miles out of a pair and generally they were a pretty tough 500 miles.  I was buying three pairs a year, wouldn’t call that too awful sporadic  :)

[Author]

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