What are your thoughts on Altras new Mont Blanc BOA and Olympus 5? Still many miles to run in them before final reviews, but this was a fun one to put together. Enjoy!
Ethan this should be called the TrailPorn™ Series 🤣 Lovely trails and nice shoes. Love Altra, just wish they’d nail that lockdown for technical steep running.
Olympus 5; Love them and for me they are way more supportive in the midfoot compared to the Olympus 4, having said that, because or the rigidness and the length of the laces (too short) the shoes are hard to lock down though this doesn't seem to effect how they work for me. It's hard imagine that there are also a lot of people out there, really not liking them.. I have tried so many other shoes and Altra is the only brand in which I can walk/hike/run effortlessly and painless, they are a blessing for me.. One of the best choices to ever try them out!! I almost have a feeling for most people you either love them or loaf them..
Yeah topo changed their sole material and created a huge arch support. I wrote topo for 6 years but had to switch back to Altra because topos feel like there's an egg under my foot now. They and they basically stopped making shoes in my size 15.
Yaaaay! Alan sighting!! 💙 You know I'm an Altra fan and I loooove the upper on the MB, but the heel slip has definitely gotten worse over time. I hope they'll fix that in the next version. As for the Olympus 5, my biggest issue so far has been QC (had to get a refund for my first pair with only 115 miles on them, because the outsole started separating in the middle of the Squamish 50M 😬) and the short ass laces. I'm a bit over that mileage on my 2nd pair now and they're still feeling good to me and hopefully won't have the same issue as the first! 🤞
You’re trails are so smooth!! My local AZ trail are ROUGH! But the Olympus smooths things out wonderfully. Bought two pairs hoping the midsole will have time to rebound. Paced a friend at Javelina for 20 miles. The course isn’t too rough, Olympus made it super buttery. No go on the Monty’s though. Could not get my heel locked and ended up returning them. Good vid!
Put one on each foot! :) I need to try the Olympus. I really like the Mont Blanc BOA but they rubbed me over the top of my left foot on a long run so a bit worried to run far in them again, maybe double layer socks would help with this... Love the stripy socks and top matching too! Great review as always, thank you.
I was super excited to get the Olympus 5...then I retired them after 21 miles, sadly! A strip of treads fell off, the midsole already has creasing, the upper stretched enough to where I was constantly relacing and even my wide feet were swimming in the shoes...which got very sketchy running down mountains. The heel is so unnecessarily wide that I repeatedly kicked my ankles and lots of rocks on technical downhill terrain, and the heel tab is so tall and rigid that it rubs my achilles if I don't wear long socks--even just using them as walking around shoes. For the steep price especially, my money goes to the Hoka Mafate 4.
I had to go a 1/2 down in my Olympus 5s to deal with the toe rub, heel slip and stretch. They feel a bit tight at first, but are perfect as they stretch. I use these for day hiking with a 30 lb pack.
Love the MB hut had to de-boa the front of the boa as I could feel the plastic on my foot. A few alterations and all good! Also, may have to spray the white to red - looks a little too ouch like gaiters . Great comparison
I'm still using a pair of Olympus IV shoes for hiking and still them. The toe box and the grip are fantastic. Is there a big difference between the IV and V? I actually have a couple pairs of Olympus I.0 shoes that I wear all the time, not to hike. They feel a lot different that the IVs to me. I don't think I'd like them on trail.
I am an Altra Lone Peak runner for years. I have tried many different Altras and sent most back (like the return policy). I do 3-4 hour trail runs and like the trail feel that I get I get with the Lone Peaks. The one thing that I have seen on almost all Altras is that the tread does not last long. I found that when I moved to Altra that I had to adjust my running style to be more mid-foot striking than heel toe. I have small feet (7) and the Olympus just never felt right. I also use Altra for my road running shoes. I have 5 pair of the original Escalanetes that I use. None of the newer versions give me the same feel.
So much fun. Another great review. Not sure if I love the Alan cameo or the impromptu Hamlet performance more! What a gorgeous day! Great review. Great video.
Thx Ethan. Really looking forward to your long-term tests especially of the Olympus 5. Love the Olympus 4, they only have one problem: only the half of the outsole is vibram, the rest is altra low budget crap. The vibram half Looks like new after 300k in the shoe, but the rest is already worn out a little bit. Disappointing for a shoe with this pricetag. So I am curious if the outsole on the Olympus 5 ist only vibram. That would be a gamechanger. Thx
For the BOA MB, I size down a half size and no issues in the heel with plenty of space still in the toebox. Trained mostly in the laced then swapped to the boa (running 80-90 mile weeks) and then raced an ultra in the boa no issues with the heel. My issue with the boa is a personal one- the strap stitching lays on a part of my foot that has a surface level nerve so until broken in, it’s a bit tender there for me. Otherwise a great shoe. Might like another mil of lug depth for muddier conditions.
I have some Torin 5's SE (Berlin) that I like for the road. They're a little narrow midfoot but overall a great shoe. I wear Altra's casually - Escalante 3's, Superior 5's, Lone Peak All Weather - and I'm a huge fan. I still prefer the general feel of running trails in Saucony's (and I LOVE the North Face Vectic Emenus, bought on your rec) over Altra's. Another great vid, thanks!
Good reviews. I really hoped that the MB BOA would be much better as I love the feel from the standard MB's but what really lets it down is that darn heel slip. On a very very steep hilly run recently the MB's gave me the worst blisters on my heels due to the slippage that ive ever had and I dont get blisters very often so its interesting to see you make numerous comments on the fact that there still seems to be that problem. As you said they really need to go back to the drawing board for this one.
I feel like you have to consider the intended use of the shoe when determining if a BOA makes sense. My cycling shoes have had them for years, but my foot isn’t moving the way it does when I run trails. I also don’t know how well that would hold up if you smashed the adjustment dial on a rock. Every trail runner has bashed into something at least once, and the idea that the BOA could be a failure point is why I’ve stayed away from the Mont Blanc.
The Olympus 4 gives me same prob in toe box. Feels great overall, but on downhills, my toes smash the front. Tried a different lacing method to lock down midfoot, b/c lacing system sucks. But still too much room. Speedgoats are tight, but at least my toes don’t get beat up from too much room. Also, those legend people like you passed inspire us all. Amazing to see them on the trails day in, day out. PS. Are you sure your car is compact? 😅
It’s always fun to “run” with you Ethan-you’re so silly! I’ve been running in Altra lone peaks for years- but I’ve been considering trying the Olympus. I worry that all that stack height might make them wobbly (laterally). Is that a valid concern?
No they dont feel wobbly at all. I have lone peaks and Olympus and i prefer the Olympus on longer distances because of the stability and the vibram outsole is better than the altra stuff in the Lone Peak, even If only the half of the Olympus outsole is vibram, unfortnately
For sure interested in the Olympus. But, the sizing of Altra shoes is hard, 10 in Escalante 2.5, 10.5 in Torin and 11 in Rivera. Midsole has not been a problem for myself, 1100km in Torin 4 and 500 in Escalante so far and still feel better than some Brooks models I’ve used. Loving the trail tested videos!
Just dont go long long range hiking in olympus 5 -- the extra widening of the outsole heel starts to dig into the sides of your heel if you walk like most people (heel first).
Slightly off topic, but I’m so tired of my ultras falling apart prematurely. My mt Blancs and times feel great, but they rip apart at the seems and fabric. Outsole delamination on my blancs.
I dont tie my shoes that tight lol Also, i use gel 5mm heel risers in my Altras during my heavy training times. Saves the achilles and allows me to run in altras exclusively
What the heck did Altra do with that huge Achilles killer in the back of the shoe??? They ruined it. Couldn’t even walk in them without serious Achilles pain. Wanted to just cut it off. Now having to scour the internet for previous version. Hope they remove it for the next version.
