First of all, the name: you just can't go wrong with Arctic Talon. It's serious and scary all at once, but don't be intimidated: this shoe is your best friend for traversing icy trails on the run. Inov-8 has made a reputation for producing shoes designed for some of the nastiest trail conditions you'll ever find - think fell running - and the AT275 is a worthy addition to the lineup.
Inov-8 actually has three spiked winter shoes. The Arctic Talon 275 is in the middle, designed for fast and light winter racing over less-than-great surfaces. It has a low volume fit with a fairly narrow toe box, and lacing it up you'll feel like you're strapping on a precision guided machine. The AT275 has 14 tungsten carbide spikes to keep you on your feet instead of on your butt. Of course the shoe really shines on ice and even snow, where the deep lugs provide plenty of space for snow to build up. Counterintuitively, snow on snow provides great traction, and the design of the Inov-8 lets it transition easily between loose snowpack and bulletproof ice.
The spikes are well laid out starting one row back from each end of the shoe. Why is this important? For before or after the race when you wear the shoe indoors onto a hard surface. The worst is tile, but even there we found the AT275 to be fine if you're moving forward and back. The first and last row of lugs - without spikes - grab as you stride forward or backward and grip before the spikes come in contact with the tile. As long as you don't make any sudden moves to the side you can walk normally; it's a really sweet design.
The Arctic Talon even has little pockets on the side for gaiters to hook into, a nice touch. The rand provides plenty of armor, as does the PROTEC shank underfoot. For any short to medium winter race the AT275 will do you better than fine. One thing that might be worth pairing with the shoe is a waterproof and windproof sock, since the shoe is neither. For a fast race where you can change quickly it's no big deal, but if you're thinking of using these for light hiking you'll definitely want the extra protection. At least until Inov-8 comes out with a spiked waterproof insulated winter boot...
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