Altra

Escalante 4

Men's

Honestly altra should just remake, exactly, the original Escalante. It was great for road/track ultras. Everything after the first version has had a sole that is too stiff. Quit trying to pander to marathoners.

Best Escalante shoe I've owned thus far! I've had the 2, 2.5 & 3. The 2 & 2.5 were great shoes but were a little too plush for my liking & the toe box was very wide (Great shoes is you have super wide feet). The 3's were too narrow (Great shoe if you have narrow feet). These 4's are a very good sweet spot between the 2.5 & 3. It's gives you a lot of room in the mid foot & toe box but not too much like the 2.5's. Not narrow like the 3's. These are just right! As far as the experience running in this shoe it feels a lot like the 3. More responsive than the 2.5 & SLIGHTLY more firm. They are also more breathable than the 3, comparable to the 2.5's in terms of breathability. Secure & comfortable lock down in the heel/ankle & mid foot. These feel amazing on feet. I ended up buying 2 more pairs of this shoe! Great job Altra for making those well needed adjustments! I posted a picture of the 2.5's & 4's side by side to show the width difference in the shoe. Unless you have extremely wide feet these 4's will feel amazing for you. I'm usually a 2E/4E in running shoes & these 4's were amazing for me, the 2.5's were a bit too wide in the toe box for me. The 4's have a bit more structure to them than the 2.5's which was a plus for me! Side Note: I've tried on the Escalante Racer 2 those felt pretty good but was too firm for my liking.

Most favorite Escalante yet. 200 miles in and still running great. I'll be buying more. Don't change it!!!

Ultimate flexibility, perfect toe box for independent forefoot mechanics, neutral, a little cushion with maintaining minimalism. Older Lone Peaks, older Escalantes, and Alpine LPs are the only Altras that have worked well for me. The Escalante 4 has been the best followed by Alpine LPs a close second. Never thought the Alpine LP could be beat. Obviously, different uses, but for the purpose of walking........regardless of terrain, the Escalante 4s are the best for me. I'm also hyper-sensitive. 99.9% of shoes will immediately create biomechanical dysfunction somewhere between the foot all the up to the pelvis and in between the pelvis/lower extremity joints. I can where name a shoe including most Altras and they will usually shutdown neuromuscular function in the foot/ankle/knew/hip/trunk/spine. Not the Escalante 4. If you have had good experiences with other Escalantes and the Apline LP, your body will most likely be compatible with these.

I wasn't thrilled with any of the women's models/colors in wide width, so I decided to purchase the Men's Escalante 4 (mens regular is equivalent to womens wide width) instead. I wear a 10-10.5 wide in womens and went with the mens size 9 in black/white - perfect fit. Of course I wish the color was a bit more feminine, but at least there was a neutral option! I'm new to the wide toe box, zero drop but I'm absolutely in love with this shoe & hope I never have to go back to traditional tennis shoes. Zero-drop requires some adjustment time - my calves have been BURNING on walks, so I've had to slow it down. FYI I tried Flux footwear first, but they are ridiculously narrow, so I had to return (also beware their return policy). I wear my new altras for walking and strength training primarily, and I plan to wear them when I visit London for 10 days in October. So happy with my purchase overall. One critique is I'd like to see more wide-width options for women.