Review: Scarpa Ribelle Cross 2 Women's

The dry, beaming sun can turn a summer calendar packed with long hikes into a drag—quite literally when all you’ve got are heavy-duty boots. Typically, I gravitate toward footwear with a tall ankle to catch my falls, but the cushioned bend on Scarpa’s Women’s Ribelle Cross 2 trail shoes ($159) make me feel invincible, like an acrobatic version of the Flash. Never before have I felt so light on my feet, no matter how steep the incline or loose the gravel. Agility comes into play through a satisfying combination of breathable fabric—which dries quickly after passing through creeks and puddles—and a Dynamic Stabilizer Torsion bottom frame that keeps a close call from turning into a downhill fall. Another perk of the breathable fabric with TPU overlays is how it accommodates and adapts to feet as they swell on climbs and technical stretches. The feature that’s come in the most handy for me, however, is the PRESA outsole with SuperGum traction, which makes mini rock slides feel like smooth gravel I can float across. Available at scarpa.com.