Review on New Balance SKOM Summit Mountain Running Women's Shoes ~ Athletic by Natalie Grant

I'm definitely a New Balance girl, I've mostly worn white leather walking shoes so far when I was these II saw I liked the way they looked and I wanted to try them. These are the first running shoes I've ever owned, they fit very differently than hiking shoes. I think it's "skinny jeans" shoes, I had to go up a half size (from 8.5 to 9) after reading people think they run small I'm glad they did I went up half a size. . I prefer wide shoes, I like my toes to have room to wiggle, I also have high arches and suffer from plantar fasciitis and as with all my other NB shoes I've had over the years I must add a few additional arch support. I decided to keep the original insole and just add a little arch padding where it should be UNDER the original insole, which works great for me. they wrap my feet very differently than my NB shoes. It took a pair of socks to finally decide I like them and now they are my everyday shoes. I'm not a runner I enjoy walking and hiking I live on a mountainside in the remote wilderness of far west Texas. I have to walk down a pretty good hill to get from my house to my truck. It's mostly dirt and rock and quite steep. In some places the tread on these boots really gives me confidence that I'm not slipping going up and down hills. I've worn these shoes on a few hikes in my area, it's dirt mountain trails with a lot of rocks, when I go off the road I go through the bushes, I didn't know how the fabric part of the shoe would compare to mine Full leather walkers work and so far they are holding up well. Another nice touch is that the tread doesn't tend to pick up rocks, although you can see a rock in the tread in one of the photos I've uploaded, they're not perfect but a lot better than most aggressive lawn running shoes. step. I also wear them to work, I work as a merchandiser for several dollar stores in West Texas, I stand, walk, crawl, crouch and walk on concrete floors, my work day is usually long and my feet feel pretty good after a long day My feet get tired in these shoes, but they don't hurt. The only spot in the boot where I notice discomfort is where it goes under my outer ankles where it feels higher than my other shoes but I'm getting used to it, it doesn't hurt, I just notice the pressure there. This is the only area where I have to "break in" them. The Vibram sole is a nice touch, I had boots with Vibram soles but no sneakers, it's quite fun to have the Vibram logo on the sneakers. I hope that means they put up with the bullying I give them. Shoelaces, I don't know when the shoemakers switched from regular shoelaces to these half-round shoelaces, I'm still trying to get used to it. When I look at them, their main benefit is that they don't unravel like regular flat laces. I've tied my shoelaces twice for most of my adult life to keep them from unraveling, it's a hard habit to break. I have nothing against the laces they put on these shoes, I just wish they were a few inches longer, once I double tie them there is almost nothing to hold on to. YMMV depending on how you tie your laces. Overall the shoes look good, they feel good, they feel snug, a bit stiff under my outer ankles but as I wear them they get better. I hesitated between gray and other colors, I honestly chose gray because of the best price, I'm actually glad I did, in person they look even better. I uploaded a lot of pictures, I wanted to show what this shoe looks like in real life from all angles.