For those of you wondering if these can be worn in non-snow conditions. Yes!

I live in Southern California. These shoes are great for dry conditions, as they would be in snowy Vermont, especially in the fall and winter. No, they do not make your feet feel hot. Your feet feel comfortable. You need to be ok with a slight snug feeling, as they do feel laterally snug - which is the intention behind the design: gaiter and pull-tab inner lacing for element running. The shoe breathes well though.

If you're a hardcore runner, especially in snowy climes or in rough dry terrain, read up on the reviews on this shoe by searching google. Other hardcore runners rate this highly...read backpacker magazine on the web.

Pros:

Excellent quality of materials - from soles to softshell gaiter.
Surprisingly Light!
Rugged sole for all terrain.
Sleek looking, handsome.
Ankle protection (though not ankle twist protection like boots).
Waterproof - I have yet to test this though.
Decent cushion - I always wear all my running shoes with Spenco runner/crosstrainer insoles anyway, which improves the cushion a 1000%. (The insoles on these shoes are thin). They feel like trail runners, not the softer feeling roadrunners which I wear for road/grass/dirtpath running.

Cons:

None on the shoe itself.
The price is a bit steep at $135, though this is a unique design with the ankle gaiters and waterproofing. I was lucky to catch the Amazon 25% off 3-day sale event on shoes recently.

Multiple uses for this shoe (Why I bought these shoes):

1. Running on trails.
2. Backpacking through South America and Asia, coming up. I was looking for an alternative to hiking boots...to reduce travel weight and to be more nimble/ready to run. As I like running and wearing running shoes almost all the time outside of home, this was an amazing and long sought alternative to hiking shoes. (Please continue to wear hiking boots in tough hiking conditions).
3. These shoes worn with trousers look great, and can pass for non sneakers. As I always wear running shoes, even to the office, unless necessary to wear dress shoes during a client meeting, these are great to wear to the office as they look less suspect than sneakers.
4. Yes I wear these with shorts - and they look great. It's all in the attitude mate.

Go for these with confidence. They are very comfortable feeling. I prefer the  more cushioned regular road runners for normal running, but these are great for trail running and, in my case, adventure travel.

**Post travel Update**
1. Waterproofing is fantastic - I was in rain and mud, and my feet were dry
2. Washed off the mud sitting by a jungle river and using a small brush with river water; no soap. comes off easy. no stain at all. amazing fabric. so cool.
3. Held up nicely through Asia, but towards the end of a 3 week trip, the right shoe began to squeak like crazy. It was a problem with the midsole. On my return stateside, I requested an exchange at amazon and the new replacement pair was shipped out to me the same day!! Amazon is light years ahead of its competition.
4. The new pair is fine .. I've done South America, and it still looks new.