Berghaus Pro Rush Mid - Women's
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Price:
£90.00
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Weight: 468g
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Features: Gore-Tex® XCR® breathable membrane, mid cut ankle, pressure distribution plate, cushioning system, Ortholite sockliner, Opti-Stud Trekking sole unit, Ergonomic Holding System, EVABreathe tongue, sizes 4 to 8 including half sizes, colour - red or black.
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What's It For?
Berghaus describes the Pro Rush Mid as a shoe “for the toughest fast moving outdoor routes” - in other words, they're aiming for a compromise between ruggedness and speed. As this is the 'mid' version, it gives a bit more ankle support than you get in the shoe's smaller sibling, the Pro Rush Low. At the same time, there's a lightweight feel that makes you think you're putting on a trail shoe more than a boot.
Fast and light, or just light, walking on not-too-rough ground is basically what it's for.
The Pro Rush Mid comes in both men's and women's versions, and it's the women's shoe we're looking at this time. The last takes into account the narrower heels, higher arches, and lower overall volume that generally characterise women's feet, so it's likely to be more comfortable for many women than a unisex shoe.
The Techy Bits
The main innovation is the Opti-Stud which was new to Berghaus in 2007 and here's what it looks like in close-up:
It comes in three forms, for running, walking and trekking, depending on the amount of traction you need. The Pro Rush Mid uses the trekking version, so the studs are the largest of the three sizes, giving maximum grip on the ground.
As you can see from the picture, the Opti-Stud looks a bit like a landrover tyre and it works on roughly the same principle. Once the front end of each stud has pierced the ground, the two linked studs behind it should reinforce the grip, driving the shoe further into the ground surface as you put more weight on it. That way, spinning wheels - or spinning feet - should be avoidable unless the going gets really rough.
The size of the studs varies across the sole in proportion to the pressure weighing down that part of the foot. As the pressure is greatest down the centre, the grips are at their largest here, while smaller subsidiary grips run down both sides where less weight is normally applied. This is designed to ensure an even grip across the length and breadth of the sole.
How It Performs
The Pro Rush Mid is one of the most sublimely comfortable items of footwear we've ever put on our feet, mostly because of the underfoot cushioning which is the foot equivalent of sinking into a downy mattress. This is great for immediate feel-good factor, although it's important to remember that it's not the same thing as good underfoot support.
The cushioning stays comfortable for a long day on the hill so we aren't complaining, but there was also quite a lot of flex in the sole. You may consider this a good thing or a bad thing depending on taste.
Traditional wisdom had it that a solid sole was the best for tackling rough ground as it would keep your foot on an even plane no matter what the terrain. Some more recent schools of thought take the reverse view that a flexible sole can be an advantage as it flexes in line with the natural movements of the foot. If the latter fits best with your own line of thinking then you're more likely to be a fan of the Pro Rush Mid.
The mid-level support is also a matter of preference. It gives a touch of reassurance that there's something more than a sock to hold your ankle in place if the going gets rough, but without the extra weight and rigidity of a full ankle support system. It worked well for us but may take a bit of getting used to whether you're normally a trail shoe wearer or you generally cling to a good old pair of sturdy boots. Either way, it's a worth a try for the combination of support and lightness.
But what about the main technical innovation, the Opti-Stud system? Well, Berghaus obviously don't think they've got this quite perfect yet - which is fair enough as it's the first year it's been on the market - as the Opti-Stud is set to change designs slightly for next summer. On the left is the 2007 version and on the right is the 2008 alternative…
If you want to stick around and wait for the 2008 version then fair enough, but if you don't have that much patience, the Opti-Stud 2007 is no bad thing either. We found it worked well on loose and muddy ground, whether we were trudging around dry slate quarries in Nant Peris or getting boggy in the Carneddau. The landrover tyre effect certainly seemed to be working OK.
The one scenario when we weren't too convinced was when we were plodding around on wet rocks - and slipping around a bit too. Our Opti-Studs didn't quite seem able to grip the smooth damp surface as much as we would have liked, which left us feeling a bit shaky on our feet. Having said that, we pushed the shoes beyond the conditions they were designed for, so it's not fair to criticise them too much for this. It's not a four season shoe and if you keep within its limits we reckon you'd probably be OK.
We didn't get much of a chance to test them in warm weather conditions as North Wales was doing its worst at the time, but the ribbing around the sides of the shoe leaves plenty of room for more ventilated areas so mid-summer walking shouldn't be much of a problem either.
Finally, fit. This is personal so the best thing is to try them in the shop, preferably with the socks you plan to wear on the hill and a backpack on your back. As a rough guide, our feet are quite narrow but otherwise pretty standard and we didn't have a problem.
The Pro Rush Mid tries to forge a compromise between lots of alternatives - low cut ankles or ankle support, flexible or rigid soles, and lightweight or rugged overall feel. It does a pretty good job of treading the tightrope between these extremes and the result is a pretty lightweight, but still reassuring, bit of kit for summer hill walking.
The new Opti-Stud sole gripped the ground well in most situations - the only slightly suspect moments came on wet, slippy rock in such yukky Snowdonian conditions that they may have pushed the limits of the design brief a little. Other than that, the shoes were light, flexible, and stupidly comfortable as well as having a female-specific fit.
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 Light and comfy
Slightly suspect on wet rock
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Performance
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Value
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