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

I only run mountains and I wear altar mt blanc boas. I also where the regular my blancs. I’ll keep buying them used and third party to the work supple runs dry.

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.

Altras are amazing but be careful going straight to zero drop for all your runs. I had some serious Achilles issues by doing that. The shoes are fantastic though, just take into consideration they are zero drop.

Topo Athletic. I'm currently hiking in the Traverse. I also just purchased (and absolutely love) the Phantoms for city walking. I also have hypermobility and ended up with stress injuries to five of my metatarsals after hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail in zero drop Altras. I have learned that I need quite stiff shoes that are not zero drop to minimize the flexion my metatarsals must do. I've been wearing Brooks for years, but the Cascadias stopped working well for me several years ago, and I am retiring my Glycerin GTS for city walking too. Topo has quickly become my go to brand.

For what it's worth, I got the Phantoms in waterproof for wet winter walks in the city. These have quickly become my every day shoes. They are warm and cozy and so supportive. I've always gone back and forth on WP trail shoes. I think that decision really depends on what kind of hiking you do. If you're doing a lot of walking in heavy rain, WP would probably get frustrating as you'll just have waterlogged shoes that take forever to dry. But if you just want protection from cold and wet ground and low plants, they could be a good option. I say this with the caveat that I have not hiked in the PNW and have no experience with this kind of wet. The (road) Phantoms have a bit cushier support than the trail (Traverse). I can't speak to how well these hold up, as I haven't put enough miles on either pair of mine to test this yet. But I sure do love them.

I love Altra's zero drop, I have two pairs. I also have Saucony Peregrine 13s though with a 4mm drop, that may work better for you.