Article by Sam Winebaum
Altra x SOAR Mont Blanc Carbon Trail Shoe ($260 / £220)
Stats
Weight: 260g / 9.1 oz US8.5 sample
Stack Height: 29mm heel / 29mm forefoot, 0 drop
Platform Width: 80mm heel / 70mm midfoot /110mm forefoot
Our long time contributor Dom Layfied, a big Altra fan had previously reviewed the Mont Blanc Carbon concluding: "of all the carbon-plated trail shoes that I’ve tried, the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon is my favorite to-date. The shoe feels light and fast, yet also cushioned and protective”. Other than the colorway my Altra X Soar version is identical to Dom's.
My perspective comes from an older runner whose trail running includes easy forest paths and rail trails with some pavement sections as well as moderately technical rocky and rooty New England trails. I have often struggled off the smooth, and when no longer fresh in carbon plated trail shoes but here the Carbitex Monoflex plate is notably flexible, the foam friendly and soft and the upper Altra roomy and foot shaped and secure.
Upper
The upper combines a soft very pliable closed front mesh with a supportive rear ripstop with extensive underlays as shown below.
The rear of the upper is a dense closed ripstop type mesh with extensive underlays visible to the rear but also extending forward with 2 more under the more closed super soft and pliable front mesh.
The tongue is unpadded and double layered and has more than adequate protection from the quite broad flat laces. It has no gusset to the midsole but is attached with a mini gusset to the lace up area.
The rear collars are lightly padded with the heel counter semi flexible.
Of course the highlight of the upper is the Foot Shape toe box which is Altra’s not quite giant and insecure for me "Original" as in the Lone Peak but the Standard.
What a wonderful fit upfront. secure, very soft and pliable mesh and with notable foot splay or "just feels right for a real foot".
The fit, in combination with the midsole and flexible Carbitex carbon plate, translates to a broad and friendly front of the shoe on the trail.
They are true to size in length and volume for my medium to narrow foot.
Midsole
The midsole is dual density with an outer Altra EGO™ MAX (rim) & supercritical Altra EGO™ PRO (core), fairly standard construction for a trail shoe with the outer rim providing stability and the inner core energetic rebound. The PRO foam is nitrogen infused supercritical eTPE foam
While not springy in feel as say a PEBA based Nike ZoomX or adidas Lightstrike Pro is, there is a pleasant energetic bounce/ rebound here with the cushioning very forgiving and soft. Perfect for very long hours on trail.
Embedded within the midsole is a Carbitex Monoflex carbon plate. I have not been convinced that carbon plates are the way to go in trail shoes as unless one is “full gaz” on smoother trails they tend to make shoes tippy and unstable for me and when one falls off a strong run pace, how about steep uphills, their benefits go away.
Here the plate and shoe is notably flexible with a long flex and also a moderately propulsive snap. As a “Monoflex” the Carbitex plate is designed to be flexible in one direction (toe off) while remaining stiff in the other (protection and stability)
This is one plated shoe one does not need to “fight” when tired. So far the combination works brilliantly providing plenty of stability and ground feel while clearly also propulsive but don’t come here looking for an aggressive, super fast and highly sprung ride..
At a 29mm heel / 29mm forefoot full stack height and zero drop we have a relatively high forefoot and lowish heel. The rear platform at 80 mm heel / 70 mm midfoot is moderate in width and by keeping it from being super broad one does not get the low heel back weighting I often sense in zero drop shoes. As I have not been in a zero drop in a while, I inserted a 2” cut old insole under the stock insole for a bit of lift but I don’t think I will need it for long. If you are coming from higher drop shoes to Altra and zero drop take some easier runs ( or use a wedge of insole) to adapt.
Outsole
The outsole is Vibram Megagrip with 3.5mm lugs, fairly standard fare for an ultra race shoe. I note trademark Altra forefoot cut outs to match foot bones, a feature that helps with the flex and agility on rougher terrain while also reducing outsole firmness on firm terrain and road. And indeed on some road segments they were quiet and smooth.
At the heel we see the outsole wrap up and around which helps keep the heel from feeling overly low in what is a zero drop shoe.
Ride and Conclusions
The ride surprised me. Very friendly, soft and energetic for a race type trail shoe and one with a carbon plate no less, although a very flexible one unlike pretty much any other. Not overly aggressive and hard to tame as many elite ultra shoes are (for example Terrex Speed Ultra, Metafuji Trail, or Nike Ultrafly, it is the type of shoe I would want on my feet for many hours on trail, on the run or even at hiking paces.
The heel did not feel overly low or firm as Altra’s sometimes can be for me with overall a very balanced feel. I like Altra’s for hiking paces given the stability of zero drop and here I don’t think the zero will keep me from also running them regularly.
At 9.1 oz / 260g they are quite light for their substance although at $260 they are priced up there alongside other carbon trail super shoes but are a friendly foot and riding option for long (and short) hauls on all kinds of terrain.
The Altra x SOAR Mont Blanc Carbon is part of a head to toe collab with SOAR which includes a great Trail Top, Rheon powered Trail Shorts and a light weight cap.
My review of the full Altra x SOAR collection is here.
The Altra x Soar Trail Collection including the Mont Blanc Carbon is now available
Altra Running
SOAR Running
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 54th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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