La Sportiva

Helios III Trail Running Shoe - Men's

Worst shoes ever

My son and my husband are La Sportiva's fans and this is the 5th pair of La Sportiva shoes I've bought for them. They are by far the worst!!!! Super flimsy, zero support, zero cushion... How are these classified as running shoes? Mountain running shoes? Nobody could run in these things. My son tried them on and says he can't even walk in them because they are too uncomfortable. Of course, he removed the tags and now I'm stuck with a pair of very expensive shoes that nobody will wear.

Trainer Shoe NOT a Trail Runner

I've purchased 2 pairs of Helios 3s over the past 4 years. They're incomparable when it comes to comfort. I absolutely love them and wear them pretty much every day as a "gym shoe". Unfortunately the main issue with them is I think they are mislabeled, as everytime I take them out on the trails they simply don't hold up. Think of this shoe as a Nike Free type of shoe with the grip of a trail runner. They are incredibly lightweight and comfortable but this also comes with the sacrifice of limited support and almost zero cushion. As a result of these aspects you will feel every rock and root throughout your trail runs - and the upper ankle support just isn't there for longer distance runs. I actually think this shoe would be way better branded as a "trainer" or gym shoe. Like I said - I use it as a gym shoe everyday (I'm a PE teacher), so if you are going to buy it expect comfort but definitely don't use it out on the trails it won't hold up and you WILL have sore feet afterwards.

So frickin' great, but too narrow!

My favorite running shoe of all time. Incredibly light, grippy, comfortable and secure locked in feel, plenty of impact absorbing cushion, but still a good amount of proprioception for avoiding rolled ankles etc. And whilst they were always narrow, they seem to be getting more and more narrow over the iterations. My dream is that one day they'll start doing this shoe in a wide. If that happens this will be my ONLY running shoe for trails.

Eliminates knee pain

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

44.5

Height:

5' 9"

Weight:

236

I am on my second pair of these. The La Sportiva Mountain running shoes helped stop my knee pain. I am not a runner. I use these for walking. They are my go to shoe that is used every day. They fit like a glove which feels good. I am going to purchase a half size larger for a little more toe room. Highly recommended.

Sturdy, comfortable, and lightweight

These shoes are lightweight, sturdy, and fast. I've had two pairs of these shoes and just ordered my third due to how good they are. These shoes have a smaller drop, which I personally like for trail running, but they still have plenty of cushion, especially on long downhill stretches. It would be cool if Sportiva made a newer version of these shoes though, with maybe a slightly stronger rubber compound, or thicker lugs. That being said, I'm still wearing my first pair of these shoes, which have survived two high school XC seasons, and countless miles of trail running, hiking, and bushwhacking while I've been in college for 2 years. As per most Sportiva shoes, they run about half a size too small.

My kid loves these shoes.

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

However, we had to order 1/2 size larger than normal.

Excellent!

Size Bought:

46.5

Height:

6' 2"

Weight:

220

Initial review is outstanding comfort and nice low heel to toe drop. Will have to reevaluate after more use. 46.5?s fit perfect in these La Sportiva?s. I have narrow, low-volume feet and 12.5?s fit me well in most anything.

Very comfortable but...

I got these Shoes 3 weeks ago, and they alredy starting to fall apart. I only wor them for everyday use, and i didn't run or hiked with them. In the ankle region the soft material, what makes the shoes more comfortable, looks like i have woren these shoes for 2 years. The overall quality is also not good at all. But still, the shoes are very comfortable

Excellent Upgrade

I never used the Helios 2 but have been using the Helios 1.The Helios 3 is an excellent upgrade. Perfect out of the box. Sizing is the same as Helios 1. Upper and lacing is dialed in better. Better cushioning but still firm. If the sole is more durable, I'll be 100% happy.

Best rugged terrain shoe - Helios is back!

The original Helios is my all time favorite trail running shoe. Bought 6 pair when they went on close out and still have 1 pair left. Also have 3 pair of Helios SR and just 1 pair of Helios 2. In it's third generation it feels like La Sportiva melded the fit and excellent laces from the SR with the breathable upper and medium flex of the original Helios. The original Helios was near perfect. The only issue for me is that my heels were not fully locked down and the laces were not my favorite. The Helios 2 had a more narrow fit, good heel lock down, and fixed the lacing system, which all helped, but the show was made more flexible and too soft and minimalist for my liking. Since the Vertical K was discontinued at that time maybe La Sportive intended the Helios 2 to appeal to fans of the VK. I run on rutted, rough, rocky trails, and that is where Helios has always shined. High stack height shoes reduce ground feel and lead to ankle rolls in this type of terrain. Helios 3 gives the perfect amount of feel underfoot and enough protection. Gravel was felt too sharply with the Helios 2 but the Helios 3 has been firmed up again underfoot and is fine for running and scrambling over rocks. I run a lot of hills with uneven terrain and I need to have shoes that keep me stable on uneven ground, and are lightweight. Durability so far seems on par with Helios SR which I still use in colder weather. Thank you La Sportiva for making the perfect shoe for technical mountain running. Fit does run a little small and like all of my La Sportiva shoes I size up 1/2.