Customer Reviews Altra Mont Blanc

Quick Stable Responsive Total game changer! The Mont Blanc hitting all the marks so far! Definitely a totally different fit and feel all together. The Altra EGO MAX midsole provides a smooth cushion ride without losing stability and the undercarriage is fitted with a Vibram LiteBase outsole which grips unbelievably well on rock, roots and wet surfaces. I know this shoe will go the distance and I can't wait to test further! *Altra RED Team provided me with these shoes at a discount.

I'm loving the Mont Blanc so far! Which is a far cry from my original thoughts when I first put it on. I'm used to a snug heel fit and the initial feeling was I could not get the heel to feel secure. This all changed after my first run. Once running I didn't notice the heel at all and it was actually comfortable. I also thought it was a little big at first, but the shoe does not feel too big when running. There is an overwhelming amount of comfort in the forefoot and the soft flexible upper adds to the comfort. The sole is well designed to help with the light feel however gives amazing grip in snow, ice and lose trail conditions. And they are fast. To couple with the light weight of the ego foam, the slight rocker helps with toe-off transition catapulting your stride forward. At this point my only concern is the low cut allowing sand and small rocks to slide on in to the show. And I worry that the upper may not hold up to our back country adventures, but time will tell! I liked it enough after 3 runs that I ordered a 2nd pair before the sweet coral/black color-way was sold out!

So far the shoes have performed well. I like the light weight and good support. I'm using them to prepare for a 25k trail run.

a bit loose in the ankle, but I think going a half size smaller would be too snug on my toes. Still a good fit. No issues during my runs, so far.

Awesome shoes outlasted my Olympus 5's by 7months ready just now starting to have a small abrasion same spot as Olympus 5 but used and abused as I work as a custodian I'm on my feet for 8hrs a day intend on getting Olympus 6 in gtx next

I use this product during races and longer training runs. I have tried both the Olympus 5 and the Mont Blanc, and the Mont Blanc seems to work better for me. The Olympus gave me heel blisters and the Mont Blanc does not. I love how lightweight this shoe is for the amount of cushioning it has. The Vibram tread is fantastic, I wish my Lone Peaks had this tread as well. I had concerns about heel lift at first, but after a while I think I've figured out the lacing to prevent that. I have had the insole slip on me during intense downhills, so that is why I removed a star. Overall a great zero-drop, cushioned shoe.

Great shoes. I replaced my Olympus shoes with these and I love them. I have the green and orange and the colors are great. The only downside is the shoe laces are really short. I wear a 10.5 and have about 5 inches on each side to toe my shoe.

An excellent shoe overall with no extra nonsense. Lightweight and with a pretty large amount of cushion. I have raced in it and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. There's not the extra protection on the upper like many other trail-specific shoes, which is fine as long as you're not kicking rocks. You certainly don't feel rocks through the bottom. The only knock against the shoe I have is with the liner. When it gets wet and then you're on off-camber trail, it has slipped off to the side on me. I've solved this by glueing the liner to the midsole, but I think that's something that should not be an issue. That's the only reason I don't give this shoe 5 stars. If you're running mellow trails or not making many hard cuts on wet terrain, this shoe will exceed your expectations.

If you scroll down you'll see a review I wrote regarding the the build integrity, where the Litebase had begun delaminating from the sole after about 160 miles. Altra was quick in handling the issue under warranty, taking the staffing issues that they like many of us are dealing with. I received a replacement pair in about 2 weeks. I had purchased a pair of the BOAs just before noticing the defect in my first pair, and hopefully I'll have no issues down the line. That said, I cannot recommend these shoes enough, as far as actually running in them. Use a heel lock if you buy the standard version, or, level up to the BOA, which is an even better shoe to tackle the trails with. Just be sure to document the information on the tag on the insole, and keep a copy of your receipt on hand, in case you have a warranty claim down the path. I added 1star to this review over my first one because ultimately this is a killer trail shoe, and while the build quality was disappointing on my first pair, Altra did the right thing, and I feel it warrants an update/upgrade to reflect this.

I have about 100 miles on this shoe and so far I love it. The good...the upper, the cushioning, stability, tow box. The bad...shoe laces (add unnecessary pressure points), heel allows dirt in.

Recommend swapping to flat laces right away. The heel cup people talk about is a non issue. Not actually moving around in the shoe. Just feels different because there is less material.

Solid shoe, but with plenty of caveats. I had a great experience wearing them for 82 miles of 100 miles of the Badger Mountain Challenge last week. My feet were in shockingly good shape after. The lockdown issues everyone talks about are there... but in my experience, it feels less secure than it actually is. I took these out of the box on two back to back ~22 mile runs with 5k+ and had no feet issues at all, which is why I chose them for my 100. It was just a little challenging to figure out how tightly to lace them. I ended up putting a little pad across the top of the tongue and swapping laces (the rounded ones they come with are not good, given how thin the tongue is). And then because the fit around the ankle is a little sloppy, I wore gaiters on my 100 to keep debris out, which worked great. What I like: 1) The midsole is incredible. Extremely comfortable and bouncy. Perfect balance of energy return, comfort, and protection. 2) The overall comfort in the forefoot also stands out - the sock-like upper is ridiculously comfortable - especially when going downhill. I've never run in a trail shoe that was this comfortable when bombing downhill. 3) Somehow, despite the lightweight materials, they're durable. Given the 130+ miles I've put on them, I'm shocked that I see virtually no signs of wear and tear. The drawbacks are 1) laces - probably need to swap them out to avoid lace pain on top of foot, 2) heal lockdown - feels insecure (though surprisingly I don't get slippage), 3) no protection in the toes - I probably wouldn't wear these on super technical, steep stuff, but I'm okay with that trade-off for the comfort of the upper. All in all, plenty of room for improvement, but despite the tweaks I've had to make to the shoe, I'm glad I purchased them.

Cushion, shape, traction, stack height all feel fine. The main issue I have is with the heel cup. This shoe is the only pair of altra that have ever cause rubbing and blisters on the back of the heel. There was major slippage on heel during the uphills. Good news is that it is preventable with some aftermarket modification. First you need to use the heel lock shoe tieing method. However the laces provided are not long enough so you'll have to by some. Additionally you can use some KT tape or something similar to help stop the rubbing. Bottom line is the shoe is almost perfect but needs some work in the future editions. Also wouldn't mind a hair more room in the toebox but there was no pinching or anything its just not as roomy as lone peaks.

Upper is very soft. I have experienced some heel slippage even with an alternate lacing pattern. The forefoot seems a little more narrow than my Lone Peaks and Olympus.

My first impressions on the Mont Blanc were pretty good. The heel slippage didn't seem as bad once I locked the heel down and started running but I have noticed inconsistencies with my runs. I just wore them on a run where I was running uphill the bulk of the run and notice the heel started to slip which had been different from other runs. Ended up having to stop to apply moleskin on the back of my foot from the slippage rubbing a hot spot. I love the toe box and mid and honestly just need to figure out the heel issue which seems to be a common issue for a lot of people. Also wish the tongue was a little longer. The lugs on the shoe are perfect and offer great traction. Overall I like the shoe and think it has a ton of upside.

Pros... super light, grippy, comfortable, soft midsole. Cons... slight heel slippage, short laces, tongue slides back a bit. All in all a great shoe.

I have been eagerly waiting for these, this could have been the perfect long distance trail runner. These shoes are light, quick, breathable, and feel great. Minus one area, they are very narrow. My toes are crowded and rub together, causing some blistering where my toes touch each other and on big toe where it touches the shoe. I rarely blister and almost never blister in Altras. I only have around 50 miles on them so far, two long runs (a 20 mile and a 18 mile) and some short runs, as well as walking around the house the week before to 'break' them in. I am hoping they will stretch a little as I want to run a 50k in them next month, but if they don't stretch enough I will race in my Timp 1.5 or Olympus 4. The only other concern I have is durability- the material is very thin (helps make them so light!), so far I have been careful with them and haven't had any problems. If you are looking for a wide toe box, this may not be the shoe for you. If you like the Riveria and Superior, this may be the trail runner for you. If they offered these in a wide version, they would be the perfect Altra trail running shoe for me. For reference my favorite trail runners are the Timp 1.5 (wide and so perfect). I dislike the Timp 2 and Timp 3 ripped open on my first walk in them. For road - I love the Torin 4.5, the 5 jagged tongue was a deal breaker for me. When hiking and trail running when I need more a lug- I like the fit of all the Lone Peak line (5 are better than the 4/4.5, have not tried the new LP6). I also trail run and hike in the Olympus 4 - I love the fit, comfort, and grip of these, but they are heavy for me on long runs. I have Superior's but don't love running in them and the Riveria is a little too narrow for my liking. Hope this helps when deciding if you should try these out.

Not as wide of a toe box as some of my other Altras. I've done about 60 miles of single track in these, they have great traction and adjustability with the strap. My biggest complaint is the toe box and the amount of sand and dirt that enter the shoe. They are holding up just fine, if not even better than my last pair of superiors. I have not tried them with gators to see if that helps keep some of the sand and dirt out, but will update this if it helps.

As an Altra fan and frequent consumer of everything Altra, I wanted to love these. I don't think it's fair to compare them to the Torin which is by far my favorite shoe ever, but I couldn't help it. The tongue is just terribly uncomfortable and the weight savings you get from the carbon you more than pay for in comfort putting them on is a chore, but once they are on they are serviceable but I'll be going back to the Torin for my everyday shoe, and reserving these for trail days.

Too heavy and not enough 'feel' of the trail. So, I no longer have a sense of risk trying to 'pick through' the technical trail, but I also can't 'feel' the trail. I wish they would bring back the Goldenspike. THAT was the shoe to end all other shoes.

I've been running and hiking in Timp's for 5+ years. I found a pair of these on sale and figured I'd give them a try. They are a good shoe, but I still find the fit, comfort, and performance of the Timp more.

Would buy again. Love to see wide sizes.

Overall they had the right idea with the shoe but seemed this was just created to sell the more expensive BOA version. Midsole is greatupper is comfortable but not durable by any means and the outsole is trash was quickly worn down by 100 miles in.not sure what is up with vibram as there more recent shoes breakdown hella quick. It's a shame this shoe could be a killer but it turns into a weekend shopping shoe after like ten runs. Don't know if Altra is struggling financially but there new shoes have the durability and shelf life of an avocado

They are great out if the box! Feel grippy, fast and comfy but quickly get lose, sloppy and they just fall apart and disintegrate. I twisted my ankle because they don't hold foot in place. Disappointing

Had the Timp 4s, which had sadly a way lower durability than my LP5, horrible lugs but a great fit and amazing drying capabilities. Having switched to the Mont Blanc the only positive thing I've noticed so far is better grip, but that's not hard when comparing to the Timp 4 and not sure if it's the vibram or just simply the better lug system. The Mont Blanc has technically the same footshape as the Timp 4 but the way the upper is built it just feels like it's squeezing my feet. The heel problem some people have, I don't have that. It felt weird at first, but it's fine when you get used to it. Also, it's not that cold here yet, but I went through a little bit of wet grass yesterday morning and 24 hours later my shoes still feel drenched, whereas the Timp 4 felt dry in no time. I'll keep these shoes around for some shorter technical runs, but hoping the Timps get a fix or update or I will get some LPs.