Altra - Mont Blanc BOA

Hi there, I have used a multitude of running, hiking and trail shoes for long distance hiking at this point and finally settled on the Altra Mont Blanc BOAs. They have a slightly more narrow heel than the Lone Peaks and have a better rocker which helps a wee bit with energy conservation if you tend to walk a bit quicker. There's a bit less rubber down there which can suck but I got mine resoled which seemed to do the trick. The BOA might trigger the skeptics into saying that it's unreliable and such but with the near 500 miles that I've put into mine I would disagree. The ability to fine tune the fit and feel on the go has been a godsend for those long, hot and sweaty hikes where your feet expand and you just feel sucky. I found that the ability to open them up so easily helped a ton when compared to my laced shoes and also getting the fit across the feet on the money every single time without having to faff with laces is great. For super remote treks I would not recommend however as having the BOA buckle break will suck. I don't personally think it will and I have not had mine pop off at all in the time I've had them (done pretty much all of the long distance hikes in Scotland and repeated a couple without any issues at all). My only gripe is that the Vibram Lite base that they use kinda sucks and peels away pretty easily so I got them sent off to the Key Cobbler in Kendal and got a much more burly replacement. I will say that it took 2 lengths of the West Highland Way, the GGW and the Kintail way for this to happen though and that's some pretty good mileage for trail runners in Scotland All the best to you!

altra mont blanc BOA has been my favorite shoe. maybe thinking about getting the timps boa when they run out, not a huge fan of the colorways though. still debating snagging some speedlands. need that BOA

First was the glue connecting the harder vibram sole to the softer rubber middle. Then the harder rubber was way too thin (on purpose?) and was smooth by the end of my 330km hike. A pity, because I loved them, was the Altra Mont Blanc BOA

I've only worn Altras for about a dozen years, including multiple road (Escalante Racer, Rivera) and trail styles (King MT2, Superior, Lone Peak, Mont Blanc BOA). I weigh 170 lbs and always get 500-600 miles on a pair before I feel the cushion is shot. That's the industry standard and I've never had a single concern with tread or upper durability. Looks to me like you may be dragging your feet a bit on highly abrasive terrain.

I’ve personally found that a wide toe box is a greater advantage for me over everything else on trail. I’ve worn Altra, Hoka, Norda, and Speedland over the last 10 years of ultra racing and training. Wide toe box + BOA system is my holy grail and I’m currently in Speedland’s after coming over from the Altra Mont Blanc BOA. I tightened up my stride in zero drop over time and has been good for trail cadence and nimbleness whether I’m in a zero drop or drop shoe.

I have the all green Speedland and wish I had bought 3 pairs…before that, I did multiple 50 milers and 50ks in the Altra Mont Blanc BOA (now discontinued as they have moved the BOA system to the Altra Timp). BOA is a game changer for me and imagine that many more shoe companies will adopt as its superior to laces.

Do you have time to get In sufficient training miles in a new pair before your race? I really like the Mont Blanc boa. I’ve run an entire 100 in them and also the last 40 miles in them after switching out of a pair of speedlands. I don’t think I could do a 100 in the LPs. The MB is the sweet spot for me with a bit more stack and a firmer foam. They’re light and drain well too. The only downside I’d see to them in technical terrain would be the lack of toe protection. Wasn’t an issue for me on tech trails but I could see it being an issue for some.

Altra Mont Blanc They've had mixed reviews but I'm absolutely loving them after replacing the stock round laces with a flat set from an old pair of Lone Peaks. I've got just over 250 miles on a training pair and the tread is looking great compared to the brand new pair that I plan on running Black Canyon in in a couple of weeks. Both pairs were $99.99 on Amazon so they have been a great value.

It seems to be model dependent, I always thought the Mont Blanc had a one ultra race and done feel about them. I also had the lone peak 5 which did 700 miles but the uppers got torn up as soon as I did a run on rocky instead of muddy route. The LP 7 have a much more robust upper.

Hey! Kinda unrelated to OP's question but I'm a recent altra enthusiast (move the 0 drop + wide feet combo) but to me durability seems low. I've got Torin 6 for daily road running and mont blancs for trail: -Torin 6 lost a part of the sole at 350km and now the mesh has a hole (460km), I'm considering retiring them but it seems like a low distance to retire a shoe at. - Mont blanc : I had a to use super glue to glue parts of the sole back after 80km Is it a me problem? Or are altras also known for low-rise durability  + GL OP for your desert run 🫡

I did a very dusty half marathon a few years ago in my Altra mont blancs with gaiters. If you don't have hooks for them I find an elastic band does the job. I did a 50k with this set up.