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Hoka One One
has always been distinguished by a very groundbreaking design of its shoes, but when you open the Tennine box and see the huge sole and the heel extension, the surprise is immediate.
One does not know if it is before the invention of the
fatbike
of the footwear or is that the designers of the American brand have slipped a snowshoe in the manufacture.
The profile of this boot with a
trail
shoe design
is anything but discreet, it is striking, revolutionary, aggressive
and, without a doubt, a powerful motivator to test it in the field to see what it is capable of.
And the chosen land is the Fuenfría valley, in
the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares regional park.
, along a 12-kilometer route that combines the stony Bourbon road and the
Roman road
single trail
within the valley itself.
That ensures us find all kinds of land.
Putting on the boots is quite easy and quick thanks to the heel pull, which helps to slide the foot into a bed that fits very comfortably.
Once tied, you can see that the foot and the heel are well attached to the structure of the shoe.
And the tread on flat ground is very smooth, like walking on a tatami.
Hoka One One is to cushioning in
outdoor
shoes
what Volvo is to safety in cars, so it wasn't a surprise to feel that softness;
now it was necessary to put cane to them.
enlarge photo Tennine Hike GORE-TEX, with its oversized Hubble technology heel.
The Bourbon road rises from the bottom of the valley to the Fuenfría port 400 meters vertically, with some sections with slopes of up to 20%, a multitude of stones that are distributed among large boats, and vegetation and roots crossing it.
During the test, part of the route was covered in snow and ice.
I walked along the road as if I were being put on a tank.
The slippers ate the ground as if there were no irregularities
.
The stability was incredible and the energy return in each step, maximum.
The sensation was similar to riding a
fatbike
on broken ground and not perceiving the slightest movement in the wheel.
They are not
trail running
shoes
,
but they are surely one of the fastest hiking boots I have ever tried.
Even stepping on the wet stone boats, the grip was very good and the pace did not drop.
Tennine Hike GORE-TEX
Data sheet
Upper
:
Gorethex mesh and 100% recycled polyester fabric
Midsole:
EVA foam
Heel
: Patented Hubble Oversized for Trail
Outsole:
Megagrip Vibram Lite for grip without increasing weight
Weight
: 504 gr (men);
416 gr (women)
PVP
€ 250
I went from the stony area to the snow, and here I discovered something that should not be surprising.
The shoes
behave better on
deep and
not trodden snow
, than on already pressed snow roads.
It's not like wearing snowshoes, but it's certainly much more agile than boots with traditional soles.
Very close to the port, at 1,780 meters, I discovered an exposed area with a large layer of ice, and although I was hoping that the large surface of the sole would hold me, the boot slipped.
Well, you cannot ask for miracles from the megagrip rubber that the Tennine incorporates, of everything I stepped on is in the only place where the grip failed.
At the port I checked the footwear.
The
goretex
mesh on the
upper had kept the foot completely dry
.
Toe, sole and heel were still intact even after hitting almost every rock on the trail.
The shoe is not only stable, it is very tough.
Now we had to start the second part of the test, the descent, to see how that mega heel worked on the descents and here things changed a bit.
Due to the volume of the heel, the
rocker
and the
drop
of the shoe,
you tend to throw the weight forward
and that makes you go, sometimes, faster than you would like.
On clean terrain it doesn't matter, but on
single trails,
with stone steps and roots crossing at different heights, you want to control your speed. Solution?
You have to step more aggressively with the heel.
Once the behavior of the shoe is trusted, the descent becomes safer and more comfortable.
Crossing several forests and meadows, I finished the route along the path of a stream that took me to the starting point 13 kilometers later.
He had stepped on gravel, stone, wet grass, mud, rock, roots, snow, ice, and log walkways.
And on all surfaces except ice, the shoe performed excellently.
enlarge photo The test passed through rocky ground, snow, ice, grass, rivers, singletrail and muddy terrain.
Eduardo Salete Balder
CONS.
Every benefit comes at a cost, and in the case of the Tennines it's their bulky, cleft Hubble heel.
In a confined space, such as on top of a rock,
turning around in small steps can stomp on the tail of the heel
and become unbalanced.
It is not a problem, but you have to be aware of this, in the same way that you do not walk backwards when wearing snowshoes.
The heel also picks up a large amount of mud when moving through a muddy area, such as a river bank.
It is not like a bicycle wheel, but it is quite a bit.
In the test I ended up with stained pants from thigh to heel.
And finally, its volume makes it difficult to choose this shoe, at least in my case, to take it on a trip, especially if you plan to fly.
It is a “local routes” boot.
CONCLUSION
.
The Tennine are a
great option for those looking for great cushioning and safety on mixed terrain and wet conditions.
It provides a lot of support, protects the joints and has an amazing energy return.
If we add this to the fact that they are very light, taking into account their volume, we obtain the perfect tool
for
long and fast
hiking
.
And, of course, if you wear them, it will be the focus of all eyes.
Hiking through the Fuenfría valley
Bourbon road near the port of Fuenfría.
Eduardo Salete Balder
The testing laboratory.
Just under 40 minutes from Madrid is the Fuenfría valley, in
the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park
.
An environment of spectacular beauty, and very popular among Madrid mountain fans, offering eight marked trails for all levels.
It is steeped in history such as the 18th century Bourbon road to La Granja, the
Roman road that connected Titulcia with Segovia,
or the Puricelli road that went to the national highway during the Second Republic.
Above 1,700 meters, the GR 10 that connects Lisbon with Valencia borders the valley.
All this sheltered by
pine forests, junipers, some isolated yew, rose bushes, button beds and broom
, among which streams meander.
An inescapable place for any mountaineering lover who is in Madrid and has the opportunity to get closer.
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