A recent trip to the Alps highlighted the value of strong, warm and comfortable footwear. The La Val Low GTX shoes from Italian company AKU provide all of these attributes. And they look good too! I wore the shoes over a five-day walking tour in and around Grenoble in France. The weather was cold and snowy but my feet were kept dry and warm by the GTX shoes. The terrain was quite challenging at times with some moderate climbs in the hills. The combination of the Michelin Pulsar soles and the asymmetric outsole provided by AKU ELICA technology gave excellent grip as well as even load distribution and comfort.
The walk to see Les Alpins
After walking around the Bastille fort in Grenoble and the nearby caves the shoes had borne up well with no tired feet. We looked around the Chasseur Alpin Troupes de Montagne museum for an hour or so. I then walked 3km further up the mountain to get to the Les Diables Bleus monument. The GTX shoes were fine for the whole of this walk – through snow, across rocks and over muddy slippery paths.
A very good test for both myself and the shoes. I must admit that I caught the cable car to go back down the mountain!
Overall Impression
The Aku La Val Low GTX shoes are extremely versatile and very comfortable, being specifically designed for walking along valley bottoms or moderate paths at the mid-mountain altitude. The GTX provide good support by ensuring excellent load distribution over the plantar surface and outstanding improvement of foot roll. The Michelin Pulsar tread is also a great boost and very grippy for slippery surfaces. This tread, which was inspired by Mountain Bike tires, provides comfort and support across multiple-terrains.
I don’t often wax lyrical about a pair of shoes but these are brilliant walking shoes. In town, up mountains – and there was no real need to wear them in either as they were comfortable from day one.
Technology
The AKU La Val Low GTX shoes are lined with breathable and waterproof GORE-TEX®, and are designed to keep your feet dry and comfortable throughout their service life. The shoes are designed and manufactured in Europe out of top quality materials and with a weight of just 435g are strong but light enough to not tire out your feet during a long walk. I use mine for all the mid-range walks I undertake.
For more information, please visit the AKU website here.
Disclaimer for Review of La Val Low GTX Shoes by AKU
The lovely people at AKU, after finding out we were heading to the Alps, sent us a pair of their La Val Low GTX shoes to try out. Our opinions are very much our own and have not been influenced in any way.
Of course. We believe you. A free £100 pair of shoes had no influence whatsoever on your report. 😊
No, no influence at all. To be fair to the brand they are worth every penny as over a year later my husband still wears them most days. You should read some of our other reviews – if we didn’t like something we most definitely say so!