Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Vertex Alpine M

Previous Arc'teryx approach shoes and trail runners were comfortable and durable. These improve on durability but have completely dropped the ball on comfort. The knit collar works great at keeping out debris. The toe cap (and full perimeter) protection is amazing and the grip is just as amazing as previous generations. My feet are quite resilient and rarely blister but in these shoes they got shredded like something I've never experienced. I would only recommend buying these shoes for summits where the approach to high class scrambles is short.

Durable but decent amount of time before they break in. Tough upper and rugged sole that is not as responsive as I would like. Would have liked to get half a size bigger due to the shoe being very form fitting. Prefer the Kopecs.

I got this shoe mostly for guiding in the Tetons where we do a lot of hiking and scrambling and a little bit of climbing on the average day. I couldnt believe how comfortable these shoes are. Usually on multi day trips I bring trail runners to hike in and change into approach shoes for the climbing. This summer I found myself only bringing one shoe, the vertex alpine, and leaving the trail runners behind because of how comfortable my feet were at the end of each day. I also found them to climb really well after guiding trips to the Wind River Range and the Cathedral Traverse in the Tetons. I felt comfortable and secure in 5.8 terrain and occasionally up to 5.10, which is the most Ill usually wear an approach shoes on. Theyre also quite durable yet lightweight. Like I said Ive worn them on almost every day of guiding this year and theyre still going strong. Ive used them everywhere from the Tetons to Red Rock to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I love the material the upper is made of. Ill definitely be getting another pair.

These things are great! Love the precision fit and stiffness for someone with narrow, low volume feet. I was worried about heel issues based on other reviews but it hasn't been an issue for me. Thinking about getting a pair of the GTX version too.

Arcteryx super fan here, and I REALLY wanted to like this shoe. It looked so promising. Avid LD3 fan, gone through three pairs with about 350 miles on each pair. I am unable to get 100 miles out of the Vertex the heels chew my heels up so badly that I was forced to stay off the trail for a few weeks. I tried many 5-10 mile hikes with the Vertex and they wont break in and continue to destroy my heels. In reading reviews it seems Im not the only one with this complaint. I have burly feet and can accept prolonged break-in periods for a stiffer shoe but Arc missed the mark on this one.

I use it as my all-around outdoor adventure shoe. Its light weight and very comfortable to wear all day. Great grip and breathable upper.

I have had great luck with Arctyeyrx shoes & boots These fit exactly 1/2 size small. Probably because of the liner

Overall, this is a fantastic Men's shoe for scrambling. The sole is stiff, the fit is on the narrow side which isn't too bad especially when you are entering high 4th class / low 5th class. The grip on the soles is fantastic on rock, not so much on snow but if you're planning any mountain routes when there is majority snow cover you're likely not reaching for this shoe anyways. This shoe is very well thought out for the most part, the interface with the laces and the shoe tongue is great and it's very easy to tuck the laces away and I've had no issues with the shoe loosening over 8+ hour days. The cuff does a fairly good job of keeping things out of the shoe but it would benefit from being a bit taller, if it went above the ankle joint it would be awesome. The only serious downside to this shoe is the stich that rests against the base of your achilles just absolutely bites into your ankle. I've given it a pretty good chance to break in (~35 hours, mostly hiking with two scrambles) and the shoe still cuts into my heel. I have resolved this issue by taping up my ankle and utilizing molskin before outings, but a shoe of this caliber shouldn't have this issue + every other Arc'teryx shoe I've used does not have this issue. This is unfortunate but is also resolved with the GTX version of this shoe which has a soft material which doesn't require a stich between the shoe and the cuff in the same spot. While the rest of the shoe is stellar, I would recommend trying out the GTX version of this shoe instead due to this issue.

This is a great shoe for climbing approaches. Its the first gore-Tex shoe Ive owned that breathes well. The traction is great. The improved heal gear clip is much better than first one. The one improvement Id like is a slightly narrower toe box.

I got these shoes when they first came out (3-4months ago give or take). I've been wearing them everywhere; socially/actively and I love them! First and foremost, they are predominantly an approach shoe. 11/10 on how they handle and hold up; hiking, scrambling, mixed conditions. They get the job done and I can wear them comfortably around town. I've gone through a lot of approach shoes with other brands and they've all depreciated quick. This one is going strong and is about the only shoe I wear. For context; I average 6-10 miles a day. I've scrambled the flatirons, done multiple 10+ mile hikes and I am one happy camper! Keep in mind, they time to break in. I advise wearing them as your normal sneaker for about a week before using them for your intended activity.

Amazing shoe, needs to be broken in before wearing.

Got these shoes 3 weeks ago, wore them around the house for a total of 3 hours, did the first hike of 5 miles, 400 feet elevation and they absolutely chewed the back of my heels. Not just blistered but fully bleeding when back to the car and a week later still out of commission. Was wearing medium weight high quality hiking socks and the weather was in the 60s F. This ruined my long weekend that was supposed to be full of hikes. Just wanted others to be warned as of never experience anything like this with any other hiking boot/shoe!

I really wanted to like these shoesthey look great, the traction is solid, and the weight feels good on the trail. The durability also seems decent. Unfortunately, the comfort is where they completely fail. I've worn them on a short 2-mile hike and ended up with blisters on my heels. I've also taken them on a 15-mile hike (even using the socks that are specifically meant for these shoes), and the result was the same: blisters and sore arches. No matter the distance, my heels and arches come out hurting every single time. For the high price tag, I expected a shoe I could trust for hiking without pain. Instead, I've found them to be extremely uncomfortable, making them impossible to recommend if you actually plan to use them on the trail. They may look good, but that's about it.

Just like a lot of the other reviews have said, the heel design on these are terrible. It's been a few months now and they still rub my heel raw. Other than that these are really great shoes. I have been putting duct tape on the back of my heels to protect them from the shoe and then these work great. But for the price of these shoes I shouldn't have to be doing that.

The shoes rub so much at the back of the heel due to the low cut back end of the shoe below the liner. I kept trying to break them in but to no avail feel like I've wasted my money with these. Was hoping they'd be great to as they look great but the comfort make them unwearable in the mountains.

The shoes are fairly stiff. Lack cushioning. I also had a big blister on my big toe. The top mesh easily gets dirty. I did one trail run with mud and can't wash them like with my merrell or Columbia shoes

These shoes look great and the quality felt very good, comparable to other Arc'teryx shoes I've owned. Unfortunately I had to return these shoes because they cause terrible blisters on my heels after walking around my house for about 30 minutes. They were also very hard to get on, like getting on a well fitting rock climbing shoe. I think the design on these shoes was a miss.

Sadly, the shoes are not designed well. The heal caused blisters within a few miles of walking. Had to switch to an old pair of Nike's to get releif. The last seemed off as my feet did not sit evenly in the shoe. Grip and cushioning was good.

this new iteration of approach shoes from acrteryx lacks any durability. the edges and cushioning fall apart quickly and the shoe becomes useless within months. Plus, the new laces NEVER stay tied. biggest drop in quality I've ever seen for a product that I used to love.

These shoes completely destroyed my heels. After wearing them only once, I ended up with multiple painful blisters on both heels. The material is stiff and poorly designed, offering zero cushioning or protection where it matters most. Walking in them was uncomfortable from the start, and by the end of the day my heels were raw and sore. I expected basic comfort and quality, but this product failed badly. Shoes should not cause this level of pain or injury. I would not recommend these to anyone unless you enjoy blisters and wasted money.

Good traction and protection, but man does i destroy your feet. The hard outer material gives me so many blisters.

The style of these shoes are great, however, I bought these for easy trail hiking and after a short 30 min trek these shoes DESTROYED my heels. The rubber on the heel digs into your heel during each step. I'm no product developer but perhaps the hard plastic needs to be higher in the heel. I had to return them right away

size 44 feels more like 42...these are too tight for the size.

It was really uncomfortable and It gave me a blister the first time I used it

Heels bleed even after short hikes and different socks. I would not recommend. Support will not repair them but offer 20% of the shoes value if you return them so they can resell them. Disappointed is an understatement.