Nine Key Benefits of the Altra Mont Blanc BOA by ElliotFroidevaux
Posted on September 30 2022
“The Altra Mont-Blanc BOA finally puts Altra in the “trail racing shoe” game.” Summarized by Elliot.
Elliot has been running with Altra for a few years and in particular the Olympus 4 in which he completed the 298Km 15000m+ Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra last year. For any new Altra shoe launch, he is one of our test pioneers and the Altra Mont Blanc BOA was for sure on his list. He has now put 130k into the Altra Mont Blanc BOA and he feels it’s definitely an upgrade on the Mont Blanc. We have consolidated some his full review below
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BOA Fit,
It’s a lacing system originally from the Rocky Mountains, using rotating dials. The lacing system then made its way onto a number of trail shoes using 1 rotating dial in general. But in the case of the Altra MB Boa, the shoe comes fitted with 2 dials for a maximum precision fit. One dial, just above the outer metatarsals, secures the mid-foot/fore-foot whilst the other, closer to the ankle bone, secures the mid-foot/heel. Both are independent of each other, giving the wearer greater flexibility of how snug or how fitting he or she wants the shoe to be. The adjustments can be done quickly and with great precision. An easy pop in to secure the dial to start winding to the desired foot hold, and an easy pop out to unlock the dial and release the hold all together. Very simple, very effective.
- Midsole! The EgoMax midsole is a gem. It’s responsive, it’s bouncy, it’s forgiving, and it’s protective. Running long is not a problem for this shoe, and your legs will thank you for it.
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Outsole!
Vibram Megagrip Litebase. Vibram Megagrip is the gold standard of trail outsoles, particularly for Hong Kong and anything less is...a compromise! Altra made the right call to use the best of the best for their high performance trail racing shoe! Light, grippy, great traction on wet, lugs with sufficient bite to manage light muddy conditions. Not built for gnarly conditions underfoot, but comfortable in a wide range of conditions!
- Stability
Though the MB BOA boasts a 30mm stack height (heel to toe as zero drop), it feels very stable underfoot because it has a very wide footprint, both at the forefoot and at the heel. And for long distances, as fatigue sets in, it’s very reassuring to have a stable platform to rely on. -
Weight
Considering how packed with features this shoe is, it’s extremely light. In my US11.5, it weighs approximately 320 grams. That’s very reasonable compared to other shoes with similar cushioning.
The materials used on the upper are not the most comfortable, except for the toe box's stretchy slipper-like fabric, but the choice of materials keeps the weight of the shoe light even when wet! -
Upper
This is almost always overlooked by many brands, building shoes with very sweat / water absorbing materials, and significantly increasing the weight when wet! A special mention to the insole. Very light with carefully placed grooves along the heel to cut on weight and sweat absorption! It's definitely conceived with minimal "wet" weight gain in mind!
So very good job Altra for delivering a performance shoe in both dry and wet conditions! -
Breathability
The Altra Mont-Blanc BOA! The materials used are very breathable, expel water easily, dry quickly, and keep your feet cool and dry! -
Rocker
The enhanced Toe Rocker helps generate a more propulsive toe-off on every strike. The shoe feels faster yet keeping to Altra’s DNA of zero-drop / balanced cushioning.
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Colour
The Altra logo and emblem are covered by the BOA dials and the mid-foot wrap. A shame, as I really do applaud Altra for the latest colourways and overall designs of its latest models from their other collections! But, as for this one, it is quite the ugly duckling!
Conclusion
The Altra Mont-Blanc BOA finally puts Altra in the “trail racing shoe” game. It’s definitely their number 1 trail racing shoe on offer, and a MUST BUY if you plan to race competitively in a zero-drop shoe! And more good news, 100km in and the shoes seem to be holding up nicely despite a little glueing issue on the heel bumper - but nothing a smidgen of super glue can't fix.
Mont Blance BOA :https://gone.run/collections/mont_blanc_boa
Elliot Froidevaux Full Review : https://ultra-elliot.run/blog/f/the-new-altra-mont-blanc-boa---review
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