First Look: Vibram Five Fingers Spyridon LS Spotted in the Wild

Vibram's trail runner - the Spyridon LS

Vibram's Five Finger barefoot shoes are becoming more and more specific; they've got shoes for road runners, hikers, crossfitters, watersports, and soon they'll have a pair specifically for trail runners. 

 Their highly-anticipated trail running shoe, the Spyridon LS, is a notably aggressive addition to the Five Fingers line. With its flexible nylon mesh rock plate, burly upper, and mountain bike-looking tread, these guys are built for off-road endeavors.

Image of the outsole from ORSM

Yesterday, I took the Spyridon LS out for a 12-mile test run/hike up Kanaka Peak. The Spyridon's gnarly outsole helped me run on the rough stuff with more confidence, and the upper feels like it's made up of a beefier material than it's genetic predecessor, the KSO TrekSport. So far, so good.

The Spyridon is due out this Spring. I'm testing this pair right now for Wired.com, so keep an eye out there for the full review. 

Treadling lightly(ish) down Kanaka Peak

Most Wanted: Vibram Five Fingers Spyridon LS

I've got a soft spot in my heart for Vibram's Five Fingers line - Vibram Five Fingers Treksports were my first experience with barefoot running shoes.  I used them primarily for hiking and some light trail running and they were great for hikes, but I found the tread a bit lacking for trail runs when the weather started to get sloppy. I lost my footing on more that one muddy switchback last fall, and I'm not eager to do it again.

Vibram heard the plight of the the off-road runner and responded with the Spyridon LS ($120, February 2012). I saw these guys at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in August, and they are indeed built for the trail run.  

In lieu of the traditional rock plate, the Spyridon LS sports a flexible chain-mail-esque metal fabric that disperses force (say, of a pointy rock that you just stepped on) while allowing your foot to move about freely.

They also sport the burliest tread that I've seen on a pair of Five Fingers to date. This'll come in handy now that the weather's getting wetter and the trails are getting slicker. Very excited to check out a pair of these.

Keep an eye out for them at Vibramfivefingers.com.

Most Wanted posts are profiles of gear that catches our eye. Since we haven't gotten our hands on these pieces (yet), they aren't reviews - they're just overviews on what the gear is designed to do. More often than not, we'll try to get a tester to see how well they work, but until then, we'll be content with just drooling over it. If you know of a piece of gear that deserves to be featured on Most Wanted, shoot us a note at