Icebug

Pytho6 BUGrip Running Shoe - Women's

Wonderful in the Snow and Ice and More

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

I am a Backcountry Gearhead and was seeded a pair of these, but I aim for an unbiased review. I came away with loving them and not wanting to take them off! I have been sleeping on Icebug, but no longer. Note: I have a lot of winter trail running experience and run a lot in the snow and ice. Initial impressions: These were truly comfortable right out of the box without excessive dead space, and true to my size. The last is supposed to be on the wider side, with a roomier toe box. I found this to be true when comparing to my more narrow Salomons. The mango is a fun, bright two tone orange. These have a cool upper mesh honeycomb material that is closed cell (no visible holes) to the naked eye which is supposed to be breathable and water resistant and seems like it would be a durable material. A spongey mesh tongue. A classic stiff rock plate on the sole. A toe with a hard ridged piece for protection. On the sole there are diagonal lugs, not overly tall (a bit shorter than my Speed Crosses), with 16 studs spread evenly throughout mostly enveloped in rubber with just a sharp flat tip protruding. I wanted to compare these in the field with the trail runners I know and love, the classic Salomon Speedcross 5s. They both have similar drops (9mm for Icebug vs 10mm for Salomon). I took both on a run/hike on an unseasonably warm early November day on a rocky trail with some mushy snow up top and steep slick, bouldery sections and switched them to try them both out climbing and descending. While both were great on the ascent, the Icebugs really shined on the steep slippery descents where traction is key. Immediately, these felt lighter on my feet and super comfortable. I instantly felt secure in the slippery snow and rocky sections. I hiked back up and changed to my Salomons and definitely felt the difference - less friction and noticeably more slippery in the snowy sections. The Icebugs are a bit strange feeling on rock, but still have excellent grip on hard surfaces. I felt comfortable making my way down a steep rock slab - it’s just that they will click given the studs. One thing to note is that these are not insulated so if you are running in very cold conditions such as 20F and below, I would recommend neoprene or thicker merino socks if your feet tend to get cold. Who would these be great for? Anyone that runs on trail or snowy roads and wants amazing grip in a lightweight package. I would try to limit any running on hard surfaces such as road/extended rock as it sort of has an unpleasant feel and you’ll wear them down quicker. However, do know that Icebug awesomely will send you replacement studs free of charge and they have the replacement directions on their website.