Asics Wmns Gel Venture 9 Wide 'Sheet Rock Summer Dune'
Colorway: Sheet Rock/Summer Dune · Style code: 1012B314-021 · Release date: December 19, 2023 · Price: $176 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Wmns Gel Venture 9 Wide 'Piedmont Grey Fuchsia' (1012B314-024) · Asics Wmns Gel Venture 9 Wide 'Indigo Blue Papaya' (1012B314-400) · Asics Wmns Gel Venture 9 Wide 'Blackberry' (1012B314-500) · Asics Wmns Gel Venture 6 NS 'White' (1202A465-100) · Asics Wmns Gel Venture 6 'Cream Silver' (1202A431-101)
Eighty dollars does not buy much engineering, so what the ninth Venture changed is worth noting. ASICS moved it onto an AmpliFoam midsole (a lower-density foam that keeps the shoe light while holding its shape) with GEL still in the heel, raised the rear stack for a smoother roll through the step, and redesigned the outsole with larger lugs for grip. Reviewers judged it a clear improvement on the eighth in both fit and traction, worth the small price increase, while cautioning against expecting any real bounce at this end of the market. That is the honest position of the shoe: an entry-level trail runner that spends most of its life on paths, gravel and pavement. This is the wide build, in Sheet Rock and Summer Dune: a pale sandy grey with a warm neutral, colours that suit a shoe bought to be practical.