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Slick surfaces may be ideal for sledding and slapstick comedy, but for the runner and day hiker, ice on the trail typically means—at best—a reduced pace and careful foot placement that turns an otherwise refreshing run into a stressful game of all-natural hop scotch. TrekSta’s Evolution GTX remedies this problem thanks to their patent-pending Ice Lock technology. The trail runner’s soles have special pads integrated into the shoe tread with electrostatically aligned micro-glass filaments that improve traction on ice. You typically slip on ice because the friction that happens when you step on ice is enough to melt the uppermost layer. Hence, the slickness, and then the fall. These shoes bite into the ice before that happens, creating surface tension. Better, the micro-glass’s vertical integration means that new fibers are exposed as the treads wear down over time. The Evolution also employs a unique overall fit that fills out the unnecessary gaps in traditional shoes and opens space in the places your feet desires. The upper has been designed from a last crafted from the contours of 20,000 different feet, and works with the insole, midsole, and outsole for true in-stride comfort. This approach has generated one of the most-comfortable out-of-the-box runner’s we’ve worn (it also makes the shoes look like a hybrid between a traditional runner and bare feet when you look directly down at ‘em).  One tester experienced some tingling in the toes when adjusting to the shoes on a treadmill three-mile run, but otherwise the Evolution has scored high for trail runs and day hikes throughout the fall, winter, and into the spring. A Gore-Tex membrane further armors the shoe against all elements—but might prove a bit warm in the hotter months for those whose feet typically overheat.