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cushion and aggressive outsole pack- ages that support the ambitions of trail runners in technical terrain and long distances," says Jonathan Lantz, president at La Sportiva North America. "The market seems to agree with this trend in that the pendulum has swung back to the middle, away from min- imalist shoes and away from thick cushioning back to the middle." Salomon's Speedcross 5 is a heavy duty trail style that adds more grip to its predecessor. The new Speedcross for 2019 features lugs with Contagrip that offer extra grip on technical terrains. Profeel Film protects the foot from the ground up. Sensifit hugs the foot for a custom, secure fit. Garmont's new light hiker, the 9.81N Air G GTX Surround, offers an ath- letic, superlight, comfortable style for speed hiking and fast moving in the mountains. Gore-Tex Surround tech- nology provides waterproofness and breathability, while a Michelin Free Cross outsole delivers propulsion and grip on mixed terrain. The updated Caldera 3 trail shoe from Brooks comes with a lace garage and a front gaiter attachment. A TrailTack sticky rubber outsole delivers traction. Altra Running's popular Lone Peak line of zero drop trail shoes first hit the market in a low mesh version and the offering has since expanded to an entire Altra Lone Peak family — mesh low, mesh mid, waterproof low and waterproof mid. The RSM version can handle "rain, snow and mud." Also on tap for Spring 2019 are Hoka One One's Speedgoat 3 and Challenger ATR 5. Both the Speedgoat and the Challenger ATR 5 feature Hoka's over- size EVA midsole with lightweight cushioning. "We're seeing trends indi- cating that consumers – Millennials in particular – want more experiential activities," says Gretchen Weimer, VP-product at Hoka. "They want to be out on trails more. Furthermore, they want more versatile products that will work in a variety of settings. This means not only will demand for trail footwear increase, but our challenge is to meet that demand with product that can perform well in a range of settings, from technical trails to the pavement one takes from their door to the trailhead." At Dynafit, the "vertical runner" or "alpine runner" is the target for the brand's technical Feline Up Pro trail shoe. The shoe's minimal feel and Vibram Lite Base outsole result in an approximate 25 percent savings in weight. And a Megagrip sole delivers grip on challenging terrain. Ross Herr, Salewa North America sales manager, sums up the personality type of the hard-charger as a "progressive mountaineer," surmising that "the trend in my mind, or in my generation maybe, is looking at what's done and seeing how you can do it faster or easier." He says that for the brand, this means "making equipment and footwear as light and versatile as possible." — Cara Griffin *ULY s /UTDOOR )NSIGHT s OUTDOORINSIGHTMAGCOM 1. Techy Traction A lot of innovation is happening at the bottom of the shoe. 2. Comfort and Style Extra cushion for long distances on the trail. And aesthetics matter. 3. Hybrids Hard-charging light hiking shoes meet extra cushioned, light and fast trail running shoes. TOP TRENDS bertucciwatches.com Experience Superior... The new A-6A Experior™ from Bertucci ® offers extraordinary durability and light weight comfort.