Customer Reviews Altra Escalante

These are responsive, fun shoes to run in. They provide good ground feel considering the cushioning and they offer a very nice ride. Unfortunately Altra still seems to have problems with sizing. I had to go a 1/2 size down from my normal size in the One, Superior, and Olympus. Great shoe, but frustrating to have to go through this sizing routine with every new pair of Altras.

The gray Escalante is probably Altra's best looking shoe to date. I certainly love the stretchy sock like upper that many of the manufacturers are using these days. My only complaint is that like many Altras, this new model again suffers from a sloppy heal that is virtually impossible to lock down. Heal slippage will relegate this pair to casual wear, which is just fine because they look awesome.

Started my altra experience with instincts, then Torins for the last 5 yrs. Love the Torins, but the stack height made it a less fashionable looking shoe. The escalante fixes that. Plush, responsive ride with less stack height. The wide toe box on altras have been a huge selling point because of a fractured big toe from the past, that still gives me issues. Only negative to the escalante is the shoelace length. They need to be longer if u use different lacing to hold heel down. Overall a great shoe and stylish too. Make the torin with EGO sole with slight less stack height and you have the perfect altra shoe.

I have pretty wide feet, particularly my right foot. I don't fit in 2E versions of some shoes, but on some models, 2E sizing is OK. So maybe that makes me a big 2E or a 3E. When I initially bought these shoes, it was obvious that my feet were wider than the last but they felt OK due to the stretchiness of the knit upper. I liked running in them, but didn't pile on the mileage as I was coming from a shoe with 4mm of drop. Once I started running in them regularly and with less restriction, my right toe developed pain and numbness that would last for days after running. I cannot use them. The biggest issue, I think, is that the midfoot strap has zero flexibility. The knit upper is very flexible; the transition to the midfoot strap is abrupt and I think that it was the increased pressure at the transition from strap+upper to simply upper that caused my issues. All that to say...even though Altra claims a wide toebox...their shoes may not work for you if you have wide feet. I also tried another pair of Altra's a few years ago and immediately had a similar issue. That upper was not as stretchy as the Escalante. Was hoping it would be different. Disappointed as I did enjoy the feel of the midsole. Oh well. I was outside of Altra's return window because of the length of time it took to transition to zero drop and build sufficient mileage to discover the issue, so I'm stuck with 'em! Giving it three stars simply because of the midfoot strap transition.

I needed new running shoes since mine were definitely worn out. I couldn't figure out what I wanted, but knew I wanted to try Altra. I chose the Escalante because I prefer light shoes and they reminded me another shoe that I loved! After getting he Escalante I was blown away by the comfort - I loved the wide toe box and the cushions was amazing. I ran a bit in them and it didn't take too long to adjust to the Zero Drop. After a couple weeks, I noticed the foam for the cushioning compressed substantially - more than any other shoe I have worn. It's not uncomfortable and still provides adequate cushioning, but do not feel like it will last as long as other shoes I have owned. As far as the structure of the shoe... there isn't much. Somehow Altra's rendition of a shoe with a fully knit upper does not have the structure others do. While running, or even walking, any direction change can result in the foot falling off the side of the sole. While I do like the shoe, it does feel like improvements could be made... makes me wonder how the Escalante 1.5 will be.

Started wearing this shoe early 2017 and really loved how it felt immediately out of the box. Have bought two pairs since -- the most recent pair, however, (bought last week) seems to have undergone a few changes. The heel counter is now thinner and less padded -- it is stiff and digs in a bit harshly directly beneath the ankle. The heel space seems to be thinner as well, and the overall foot bed feels more rigid than any of the ones I have worn in the past. In my opinion, the shoe no longer has the "sock-like fit" that it claims for itself. I am unimpressed with the most recent pair I purchased as it seems the features I most enjoyed about the shoe (i.e. comfort related) are missing. I will most likely be searching elsewhere for my next pair of shoes.

Wish I could love this shoe. When I got them they were fantastic. The response great, cushioning great. Then they started stretching and now they are sloppy. Just forget trying a track workout. Now I just love the EGO sole but they upper just expands and expands. They are great for running straight ahead but impossible to run curves on a track. So buy them 1 size smaller than your regular Altra size. A friend did that now and they wer much better. I keep them for recovery runs but I got the Escalante Boston Racer. Finally my perfect shoe! Get the upper right on the Escalante (like the Racer) and you have a perfect allround shoe.

After running in Torins for the last few years, I gave the Escalantes a try. I immediately noticed the responsiveness and found myself running faster and with more energy in the back half of my runs. Unfortunately, I also developed pain in my right leg that worked its way up my Achilles and to the IT band. The heel/ankle support is just sloppier than I need and I couldn't offset the pain with the realized improvements. I put about 60 miles in hoping I would adjust, but ultimately I had to go back to my old Torins. Only then did the pain subside. I've now returned the Escalantes and bought new Torin 3.0.

I have really wide feet that overpronate. I was running in paradigm 2. I switched to the escalante because of the hype and reviews and because they were aesthetically pleasing. The sole is very bouncy which even though it is thinner than the paradigm, it retained in my honest opinion the same cushioning. my concern is that there was no guide rail on these shoes and you can literally feel your heel sliding around in the shoe and pronating. also being a heavier runner I felt like my heels were sinking in the shoe. Overall there just was not enough support. the toebox was also much more narrow than the paradigm 2. It felt almost like a regular running shoe and I was used to wearing 4e. This did not hold up to the altra wide toe box that is more natural. the sole of the shoe was also weirdly narrow, i felt as if this was designed for a female because the sides of my feet were hanging off the side of the shoe. I dont want to rip on altra but they should make a stability version of the escalante and I would be apt to try it. I went back to the paradigm and tried the new version 3 - best pair of altra ive ever had. The escalante did not do me justice.

I really loved the mid-sole of this shoe, very responsive and comfortable under foot. Unfortunately for me that's where the love affair ended. The upper just never felt right on my foot. Multiple laces, different lace patterns, I could make my feet feel quite right. They always felt too tight across my toes. I may have been able to get past the comfort factor after a few more runs but the lateral support of this shoe simply does not exist. Making sharp turns at much more than a walking pace I found my foot would slide right off sole. This also happened when hitting a slight dip in the surface I was running on. The thought of rolling my ankle or worse was constantly in my head. Maybe with some extra support this shoe would be awesome, but not right for me. So alas, I returned the Escalantes and got some Torin 3.0's

These shoes are comfortable and really soft at impact, which is great for road running. But they fit slightly differently than all the other Altras I have ever owned. Usually with Altras, its the sizing, but not the case here. In the Escalante, my feet tend to get smooshed up against the outside and front of the shoe. This could be due to years of running in narrower shoes, but it doesnt happen in Lone Peaks or Superiors. The Escalantes also seem to be unstable for me. If I try to do anything other than run in a straight line, they tend to want to flip over and I nearly turn my ankle. Someone with weaker ankles surely would twist their ankle.

Great shoe but toe box is lower than usual. Watch out for toes rubbing on the ceiling on the toe box. Was excited for this shoe but had to return.

I really liked these shoes, loved the way they felt and everything, but about 3 months into running with them the sole broke down and they started to get really squishy and developed a really annoying squeak. I don't know if I stepped on a rock or something, but unfortunately the squeak is so bad that I can't even wear them anymore.

I'd put these more in the casual wear category than running. I'm giving them a try, but the upper is so flexible that your foot slides all over the place when cornering. So I corner much more gingerly in these. Maybe that's the way they were designed to work, but not what I expected from a running shoe. (this is my third pair of Altra shoes so I'm not new to the feel)

This shoe feels great while running on the treadmill or in a straight line. I put about 50 miles in this shoe. Whenever I had to turn or make a sharp cut, my foot wants to roll out and off the shoe. After my last run in this shoe, my right foot was very sore. My peroneus tendon was red and inflamed. I do not think this shoe is right for me.

Really disappointed in this shoe I love Altra trail shoes but the road shoes all seem to have low volume in the toe and these are just tight all over. They also don't feel very cushy or seem to have much rocker effect.

Recently a bunion on my foot suddenly went from large to enormous, requiring me to discard much of my footwear including my only shoes. I bought the Altra Escalantes to replace those shoes, they are for walking around purposes. They accommodate the bunion nicely, no complaints there, but I found the sole, or at any rate the bottom of the shoe, quite lacking in the support I need. I put in Spenco insoles and am now very happy with the shoe but without the insoles I would not be able to wear them. I must add that I ordered the shoes on line. Perhaps a sales person would have advised against this particular shoe for me.

About 1-1/2 yr ago I was turn on to these shoe by a doctor because I told him my shoes I had were killing my feet. I bought a pair and I was in haven, I could walk all day and have no foot problems. They went to the #2 which there was nothing wrong with #1 and I bought those and they were ok. About 6 months ago I bought several pairs cause they were on sale, now I know why. These have turned into the biggest pile of junk shoe. They killed my feet and only last about 30 days. I had to quit wearing them. I am done with Altra. Do not buy these piece of junk shoes!!!!!

Either I got a lemon or there is a structural issue: the toe on the right shoe starts wearing off and a whole appears.