Hiking through the Andes of Peru in Vibram Five Fingers Sprints

Professional photographer and Vibram Five Fingers fan, Scott Gold, recently visited Peru with his girlfriend. Read what Scott had to say about their trip and see some amazing photos after the jump!My girlfriend and I wore our Sprints in Peru and lo…

Professional photographer and Vibram Five Fingers fan, Scott Gold, recently visited Peru with his girlfriend. Read what Scott had to say about their trip and see some amazing photos after the jump!

My girlfriend and I wore our Sprints in Peru and loved them! We were considering hiking boots for the 9 day trek in the Andes from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu but ended up choosing our Sprints instead. They were lighter, more agile and felt more safe than wearing enormous hiking boots. They performed great at 15,000ft as well as at sea level crossing rivers. I loved feeling the trail beneath my feet…I was connected.

Pros:

  • Lightweight
  • Agile
  • Can feel everything beneath you.
  • No chance of rolling an ankle.
  • River crossings were a dream…didn’t have to take off shoes like the rest of the group.
  • Conversation starter. Everyone pointed, laughed, smiled then asked were can they get some.

Cons:

  • Dust and Dirt: The Sprints allowed dust and dirt to get in the shoe and act like sandpaper. The new Trek Sports or KSO would have been preferred. (Weren’t available at the time)

15hr days and thousands of feet in elevation changes on intense terrain will abuse almost anyone’s feet. I’d strongly recommend training your feet to get used to the abuse. We trained for a solid month with running and hiking…looking back I would have doubled it.

It was a bummer the Vibram Trek Sports were not available yet when we did the trip…I think they would have worked great! Overall, we loved the VFF and will never use hiking boots again for trips like this.

Here are the pics! Click to Zoom.

Scott also does videos professionally and put together a video of his trip…can you spot the Sprints?



Scott, thanks for giving us a virtual tour of your trip!

By Britt

Hailing from College Station, Texas (Home to Texas A&M!), I grew up running cross country. Believe it or not, I gave Justin the name for this site back in early 2009 but I didn't jump on the toe shoes bandwagon until a year later. I am also really into quadcopters and drones and have a blog called OddCopter.com.

13 replies on “Hiking through the Andes of Peru in Vibram Five Fingers Sprints”

I loved the pictures and the video was amazing! It looks like a wonderful adventure! I wonder if the KSOs would have been better to keep the sand and rocks out…next time I guess 🙂

What beautiful photos! The video is exquisite with breathtaking views. Thanks for sharing.

I hiked the White Mountains of New Hampshire this summer and the KSO Treks worked extremely well. I never had to take them off to remove sand or dirt. You are right about training the bottom of your feet though 🙂

Thank you for sharing! Truly beautiful… those two minutes added to my life! I just got a pair of Treks (love my sprints) and Im looking forward to all the adventures they bring. Namaste

Thanks for sharing. Peru is on my bucket list for sure. Your pics and video were breath taking. What camcorder did you use?

Pretty awesome adventure! My wife and I visited Cuzco and Machu Picchu a couple years ago (as part of a whirlwind tour before heading to Ecuador then the Galapagos Islands). Would love to return to run the Inca Trail Marathon (bucket list race).

Awesome and amazing views. The pics and video made the “wild” well up inside of me. I love places like this that have not been marred by humans.
Really great video and pics. Thanks for sharing your trip.

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I go to Peru annually and hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu over 10 years ago. I wore boots that time while the porters had huaraches (of course). This year I went running in my VFF KSOs next to Lake Titicaca. Doing the Machu Picchu Marathon would be a dream come true.

Running there would be something to remember. You’ve put that togeather like a profesional, it could be an advertizment.

Wow! Your videos and pictures are unbelievable!! My fiance and I are doing the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in June and I am debating on whether to use my Bikila’s, get some Treks or go with my traditional hiking boots. I haven’t worn sneakers or boots in over a year, but have never hiked in Vibrams. Thanks for the inspiration. Your trip looked amazing!

Thanks so much for sharing! I’m headed to the same place next month with my TrekSports. How did they hold up in the cold? Should I invest in some injinji socks?

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