The TevaSphere was launched with much fanfare last year at the Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen. The company, which has specialised in shoes that are designed to get very wet, spent four years developing this multi activity shoe that, it claims, “lowers the point of contact for a more natural movement”. The heel is very round (in sharp contrast to the Salomon, for example) which, while comfortable and perhaps more natural, it doesn’t make them necessarily more stable as the heel can roll until your forefoot strikes the most visually noticeable part, the large oval ‘pods’ below the arch and on the outer foot. However, I found that when walking across a slope, the outer pod pushed the foot inwards too much and it became uncomfortable. The lug pattern is a bit too shallow for really muddy trails, but grips well on wet rock. On flat ground they are very comfortable. The waterproof membrane is the very breathable eVent, and although they run warm, it is noticeably less warm than Gore-Tex lining. I think these will continue to develop over time.
First published: June 2013
