Trail runner Sarah Barber reviews Mammut Sertig TR Low for this article. Product was provided at no cost for the test and review.
Although European brands of trail shoes are far from dominant in the U.S., it’s no secret that European athletes dominate the podium at many international trail races. So why am I not seeing more trail junkies donning sneakers that come from across the pond?
I don’t have an answer, but I still leap at every opportunity to emulate the mountain goat athletes who train and race in the Alps and Dolomites. In fact, my favorite vacation to date included a visit to Switzerland, home of Mammut, an outdoor apparel and gear company that also churns out hiking boots and a few models of trail running shoes. They recently released the Sertig TR Low, marketed as a “comfortable multifunctional trail running shoe,” which leads me to believe that much has been lost in translation. The Sertig TR is far more sophisticated than that.
Fashion and function
Right out of the box, the Sertig TR met me at the intersection of fashion and function. The crisp white color was almost blinding, while the tiger-esque black and tangerine highlights evoked an animalistic fierceness. Momentarily frozen by paradoxical yearnings, I hesitated for a nanosecond: preserve these pristine beauties as long as possible, or trot out the door immediately to get them dirty? Dumb question. I laced up and took off.
And the lacing up took less time than the decision to do so, thanks to a quick-pull securing device, the likes of which are becoming increasingly widespread among trail shoes. Excess cord tucked neatly under a forefoot strap, I jogged across dry turf and onto dusty singletrack.
While the Sertig TR is not the lightest sneaker I’ve worn, at just 260 grams the only things feeling heavy as the elevation veered skyward were my legs. My feet, however, felt nimble and effervescent as I bounded over rocks and exposed roots. Good thing, because unlike some of the heftier kicks on the market, the Sertig TR has avoided extra mass by omitting a toe guard and a rock plate.
Confident traction and versatility
The durable tread provided confident traction, even on rocks coated with dust and sand. Sandwiched between the lug layer and my foot, I could feel the Sertig TR’s EVA midsole harvesting the energy from each footstrike to propel me forward. Meanwhile, the airy weave of the upper had a nicely cooling effect—who needs waterproofing at this time of year? Mesh is all the rage.
It’s unusual to find a trail shoe that’s as suitable for racing as it is for daily training, but my gut feeling is that the Sertig TR has exactly that versatility. It might not be the best choice for a short, technical VK, but for anything else, it’ll get the job done swiftly. It gets dirty on the first run and stays dirty from then on, but it won’t clutter up the environment. If you need one more good reason to give ‘em a try here it is: Mammut’s Sertig TR is 100% decarbonized, meaning that the CO2 emissions generated to produce the product were removed from the air, thus eliminating their contribution to climate change.
Mammut Sertig specs
Weight: 260 grams
Heel-to-drop: 8 mm
Stack height: 20 mm
MSRP: $149
Editor’s Note: To read more reviews and articles from Sarah Barber, visit this link.
