In production · trail · Trail / Race day / Tempo · $260
Carbon-plated zero-drop mountain racer for runners who won't give up toe room.
Built for trail, race day, tempo, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on trail.
The midsole is EGO, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 29 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
A 0 mm drop is close to level. That loads the calf and Achilles more than most runners are used to, so ease into it. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is unusually roomy — foot-shaped rather than tapered, which suits splayed or bunion-prone feet. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.87 per mile at $260.
For the foams and plates Altra uses across its line, read the Altra brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
264 g / 9.3 oz
11 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
29 mm
7 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
0 mm
6 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$260
100 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Altra line it is lighter than the brand's median (294 g / 10.4 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (30 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Altra Mont Blanc
265 g / 9.3 oz · 30 mm · 0 mm drop · Rock · $195
Altra's long-distance trail racer: light, roomy and quick over ultras.
Altra Mont Blanc BOA
270 g / 9.5 oz · 30 mm · 0 mm drop · Rock · $210
The Mont Blanc ultra racer with dual-BOA micro-adjustable fit.
Altra Mont Blanc Speed
245 g / 8.6 oz · 30 mm · 0 mm drop · Rock · $230
Leaner, faster Mont Blanc built for trail race day.
Altra Timp 6
289 g / 10.2 oz · 30 mm · 0 mm drop · Rock · $165
More cushion than Lone Peak, same foot-shaped zero-drop platform.