NEW BALANCE MT573

I just bought a new New Balance hiking shoes MT573 yesterday in preparation for my Mount Kinabalu climb. I bought it from N-Concept at Sunway Pyramid for RM240.

Unfortunately i found that the shoe's sole loses grip on a smooth surface if it comes in contact with water!

After i had this problem, I went online to do some checking and came across this :-

source:http://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Mens-MT573-Trail/dp/B003UHUVI6

"Furthermore, these shoes do not handle moisture very well. Any amount of water that meets the bottom of the shoe will cause slipping. The depressed-most portion of the tread is made of some material that traps and retains water up to 45 minutes after "first contact". Sidewalks with a dusting of snow, sealed concrete, tile, polished terrazzo, some rubber surfaces, wet or dry wood floors, and most non-porous surfaces, etcetera, become hazardous terrain. "

This is just how i felt when i was wearing the NB shoe as well! I'll try to exchange this shoe with another one....But i'm so very dissapointed....

Update: I've managed to convince N-Concept S. Pyramid to exchange MT573 with another shoe. They were hesitant at 1st and kept saying there's nothing wrong with the sole but i was adamant that I do not want to wish MT573 as I had already lost confidence in that flawed shoe. They suggested MT910 which i tried & tested on their treadmill. Although it had a good grip, it didnt feel comfortable and my foot felt really warm. Also my foot and ankle were starting to hurt after wearing it for a few minutes. I finally decided to go for MT813 which has very good reviews on websites like www.amazon.com. Hopefully this time it'll be okay. The MT813 after discount costs RM209 so i had to top up another rm5.70 to get a NB t-shirt. I'm getting the shoe on Thursday since their outlet @ S.Pyramid dont have the size i want and so they need to bring it in from another N-Concept outlet.

Mesilau and Low's Peak Video

And other vids about KK climb:

Clinbing Mount KK - My training plan

I'll be climbing Mount KK in May so i've decided to create a training plan and log all my training activities here :)

I googled abit on climbing mount KK preparation and I came across this interesting and very informative blog.

http://yu-kym.blogspot.com/2009/08/training-to-climb-mount-kinabalu.html

The climb
Day 1: Need to ascend 1473m from park headquarters (1800m) to guest house at Laban Rata (3273m)
Day 2: Need to ascend 822m from Laban Rata (3273m) to Low's peak (4095m), then descend to Laban Rata then park headquarters.

Note: 1 storey is about 2.5m.

So this means on day 1, I need to climb 590 storeys and on day 2 climb up 330 storeys!!!

I've climbed up to Laban Rata several years ago. I didn't climb to the peak because my friends didn't want to. This time I'm planning on reaching the peak. That time I trained at Bukit Timah once a week and climbed 40 storeys twice a week. I don't think I need to train that hard to reach the peak but I would like to make the climb as *easy* as possible.

Exercise tracker
I'm training by climbing stairs at a 28-storey residential building. I walk up, then take the lift down, and walk up again. The reason for not walking down is: I do not want to give my muscles a chance to rest. 112 storeys is quite the norm for me. I can complete it in less than 30 minutes and not get any muscle aches from it. But I feel so far away from the 590+330 storeys :( I really need to step up my training!
9 Aug: 112 storeys
11 Aug: 112 storeys
14 Aug: 6km trail run, grade: difficult
15 Aug: Rock climbing
20 Aug: 3km walk, flat road
21 Aug: 9pm run, flat road (1hr 11min)
24 Aug: 112 storeys
26 Aug: 2.4km run, stadium circuit (14:56)
29 Aug: Rock climbing
....

---Updated on 1 Sep---
Training plan scrapped! My friend has to work that weekend so we won't be climbing.

Great input there! Too bad she couldnt make it for her 2nd climb.

The Summit Dream (Mount Kinabalu, Sabah)

Came across this nice video on Mount KK. A compilation of photos shot during his Mount KK hike made into a nice video clip. The video shows some interesting spots along the trekking path and also low's peak.

Here are some other videos on Mount KK:

In this 2 part video, it shows the Mesilau trail:

Climbing Mount KK - 20-23 May 2011

Today is the 20th January 2011. I'm going to climb Mount KK starting from 20th May 2011 (3D2N). Already paid Sutera Sanctuary for the lodgings, and the other fees. Initially it was fully booked when we tried to book in Dec. But it seems those unscrupulous Sabah travel agents just simply booked hoping that someone would buy from them at a much higher price! We waited for about 2-3 weeks before space was available again (they had to let go after 2 weeks) :) Already paid RM489 to Sutera Sanctuary (doesnt include Entrance Fee, Mt. Guide fee, Porter, Certificate & Sabah Parks transfer from Kinabalu Pak HQ to Timpohon Gate / Timpohon Gate to Kinabalu Park HQ).

Anyway i'm feeling totally excited now!! Gotta start training from today!!! I already have a training plan in mind!!!!!

How excited i am? Well the following modified song from Pointer Sisters sums it up!!!

I'm So Excited

This is the year we're gonna make it happen
This year we'll put all other things aside
Get in this time and show me some power
We're goin' for those adrenaline pump on mont KK

I want to climb you, reach you, standing proudly on top there
I want to win you, beat you, I just can't get enough
And if you move real slow I let it go
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I'll reach you
We shouldn't even think about tomorrow
Sweet memories will last for long long time
We'll have a good time, Mont KK , so don't do worry

And if we're still playin' around that's just fine
Let's get excited, I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I'll reach you
I want to climb you, reach you, standing proudly on top there
I want to win you, beat you, I just can't get enoughAnd if you move real slow I let it go
I'm so excited, I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I know I know I know I know I know I'll reach you