norda  055 Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

The 001A has been my absolute favorite trail shoe since it was released, and it remains my go-to weapon for shorter, technical efforts under 10 miles where agility and ground feel matter most. However, the 055 has officially taken over my long-distance lineup.I now save the 055 exclusively for 6 to 12-hour days in the mountains, and they have been a total game-changer. The biggest standout feature for me is leg fatigue or lack thereof. After a full day of pounding technical terrain, these shoes keep my legs feeling remarkably fresh, minimizing the deep muscular fatigue that usually sets in during the late hours of an ultra-effort.

I really wanted to love these shoes, but unfortunately they didn’t work for my feet. I’ve used them for two separate trail runs of around 20 miles each, and both times I developed a painful pressure point around the outside ankle bone. I experienced the same issue with the Norda 001, so I suspect the stiff upper/collar simply doesn’t conform well to my particular foot shape. I tried different lacing strategies, and loosening the laces helped somewhat, but then I lost the foot lockdown I needed for trail running. I’m sure these shoes work great for many people, but unfortunately I couldn’t make them work for me.

Incredible bounce. Some say these are firm, but I think they’re the perfect balance between not too plush and not too firm. I usually wear a 10.5 and got these in an 11 (per Norda’s size guide) and the 11 fit great. They were the perfect width too. The tongue is well padded. If they could make the same shoe in a few mm shorter stack height and no gaiter (as I don’t think it’s necessary) it would be perfect. But overall I can’t complain and they’re probably the best trail shoe I’ve worn.