“Ah, yes, the corporate-slut shoes,” somebody said at the Groundhog Day Invitational when I mentioned I was testing a pair of Zamberlan trail shoes I received awhile back. On the odd chance that anybody still cares about this, I figured I might as well do a first-impressions post. But first, a picture from the shoes’ first day on the trail:

Now that we’ve established they do not have mud-resistant soles (as soon as these are invented, I’m first in line), we can also state with certainty that they will not prevent you from falling on your fanny while standing on slippery rocks at the bottom of a waterfall. They’re just shoes, not anti-gravity devices.

The Zamberlan rep told me I could pick any shoe I wanted from his line, from basic walking shoes to mountaineering boots. Maybe I’ll work my way up the line, but for now I’m testing the company’s most basic hiking shoe, the 140 Paso.

Trail shoes like these remind me why I’d rather hike in trail-runners. Hiking shoes invariably have hiking-boot soles, which are stiff as a board, while trail-runners have more flexible soles that are kinder to my finicky feet. I hiked 16 miles a few weekends back in a pair of Montrails I got for half-price at Steepandcheep and my feet hardly complained at all.

The most I’ve done in the Zamberlans is about seven miles, and my feet have been tired and achy when I’ve finished, even after switching to Superfeet custom insoles. No blisters so far, though. (My feet do not share my affection for hiking. They do everything possible to discourage it, including complaining about new shoes that didn’t cost me a dime. Ingrates.)

So now that I’ve established my integrity by putting all my complaints first, I can say what I like about them:

• They feel like different shoes the minute you step off the trail. While the firm soles just seem to collide with a hard-packed trail, they add welcome stability on softer, uneven terrain.
• Traction is solid on steep, dusty sections of trail.
• Because they have no Gore-Tex lining, they breathe well. My feet didn’t overheat, which helps explain the lack of blisters.
• They feel sturdy and well-built.

The trouble with shoes is that no matter how many bells and whistles they have, the only thing that really matters is how they feel on your feet. These never struck me as the kind I’d fall in love with after trying them on at the store — they’re stiffer and heavier than my feet would prefer, but if I gave too much heed to my feet I’d never hike at all.

I’ll report back after I’ve put more miles on these guys. On Saturday they seemed to be getting a bit more comfortable, so maybe there’s more of a break-in period than I’m accustomed to with trail runners.