Altra Mont Blanc Carbon Introduction
As someone who loves a show which allows me to run with my natural stride, I have always been a fan of Altra’s 0 drop philosophy. Couple with their anatomically shaped toe boxes, they should be my dream shoes. That said, the last time I ran in a pair of Altra’s trail running shoes back in 2019, I was not impressed. However, I had big expectations of the Mont Blanc Carbon.
Let’s see if they were met.
Altra’s Mont Blanc Carbon Upper is a Perfect Compromise
Straightaway, we can start with one of Altra’s main design features, the toe box. Whilst it is not a common shape on a running shoe, it gives exactly what I want in an ultra distance trail shoe: space! Thanks to this shape, I have never worried about blisters nor my toes feeling squished after the swelling of miles. Quite the contrary, my feet had the feeling of freedom. Moreover, the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon is very breathable for those long, hot efforts. This is definitely a shoe for any larger footed runners out there.
Furthermore, I find my stride becomes more natural as I am able to push fully on my forefoot. Indeed, this should be a first choice for any forefoot runner out there. Overall, I found that this upper matched all of my expectations for a race day trail shoe. While not ultra comfortable, the mesh moulds perfectly to the shape of the foot. What padding there is works well. It helps to protect the ankle and secure a good lockdown. I believe that Altra have found an almost perfect compromise between comfort and weight reduction.
On the other hand, I did find some weaknesses in the upper. Firstly, a minor one. The laces are far too long. I think you could tie both shoes with just one of the laces provided! This is just not a practical length of lace. While the mesh on the top of the Mont Blanc Carbon is soft and light, it seems to lack durability. I have already found some wear on top of the shoes. This lack of toughness extends to the minimal protection for the toes.
Finally, while I found the front of the shoes to be blister free, the achilles area did suffer a little rubbing when pushing uphill. I hope that the next version remedies this issue.
Altra Make a Magic Midsole
Now, we reach the magic! For me, Altra have found the perfect balance between my holy trinity of trail running: comfort, reactiveness and stability.
Without the need for a huge stack, the midsole is very well cushioned. This is thanks to the mix of Altra Ego Pro and Altra Ego Max foams. This makes it ideal for long runs on the trails. In fact, it feels like running in a road super shoe. Furthermore, the Mont Blanc Carbon utilises this cushion to protect the feet from any pointy parts of the trail. It has kept me protected on all terrain I have thrown at it.
Often, when there is a good level of cushion in a trail shoe, stability is sacrificed. Fortunately, this is not the case here. The stack is low enough to maintain precision in technical terrain. It also has a great width for me. It hits that Goldilocks zone where it is neither too wide nor too narrow. Perfect for precision and reactiveness.
Finally, the bounce of the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon surprised me from the outset. It is a playful shoe particularly on downhill sections. When you push, the speed comes instantly.
The Mont Blanc Carbon is Great in the Dry
Throughout all of my running on a range of surfaces from rocks to road I have had no issues with the outsole. The pattern of the outsole is densely packed with lugs and they are of a moderate height. The rubber is from Vibram so you know the grip will be true,
That said, I have not yet had the chance to run in them with rain or snow. This gives me some cause for concern as I think the lugs may be too small for wet trails. Unfortunately, I have noticed some wear on the exposed outsole foam after only 20km on the trails. Hopefully, Altra can modify this if we get a Mont Blanc Carbon 2.
This is my Ideal UTMB Shoe
In conclusion, the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon would be a definite choice of mine for a long, dry trail. They have the perfect combination of comfort, lightness, precision and reactiveness for my needs. In light of this, I would use them for distances between 80 and 180km.
Their qualities far outweigh the small issue with heel rubbing I had. In fact, I would just stick on a plaster and solve the issue myself. On the other hand, they are not daily shoe. I would use them for competition only. Overall, I would recommend the Mont Blanc Carbon to anyone who suffers from foot swelling on longer runs or those who strike predominantly forefoot.
Finally, Altra designed the Mont Blanc Carbon for UTMB. My verdict: they would be my first choice for that race!