Altra Mont Blanc Carbon - Women's Review

The updated Altra Mont Blanc Carbon boasts super bitey lugs across its grippy Vibram Litebase outsole. This, combined with its snug midfoot lock and flexible carbon fiber plate for propulsion and protection, makes it a trail shoe, unlike other zero-drop shoes on the market today.

Performance Comparison

Foot Protection

The Mont Blanc Carbon is not a perfect shoe, but oh my gosh the foot protection elements of this superstar may have you believing otherwise.

From tip to tail, this shoe is as protective as it is fun to run in. As we have already giddily mentioned, the dual-purpose carbon fiber plate embedded within the sole of the Mont Blanc serves as protection against sharp trail topography. This shoe rides like it is built for ultra-distance races, so this underfoot protection adds to its overall comfort, further securing its standings as an epically awesome shoe. The heel collar is a bit wide, but once the fit is locked in, the cushioning around the collar does a great job deflecting the debris you kick up in your wake. There is a Velcro gaiter trap at the heel to further aid in these deflecting efforts should you choose to go that route.

The outsole of the Mont Blanc extends up toward the toe slightly, creating a barrier between your toes and unsuspecting rocks and roots. Just above this, the flexible rubber toe cap provides an additional layer of protection. The upper mesh of this shoe may just be its crowning glory. Yes — you will end up with wet feet if you dunk your feet into a river, but we fully poured the contents of our water bottles onto these shoes and watched in amazement as the water pooled and rolled off the top.

Traction

Yet again, we applaud Altra for the efforts made in constructing the Mont Blanc Carbon. Vibram outsoles tend to be the gold standard when it comes to grip, and the outsole on the Mont Blanc upholds this trend.

The sharp edges of the arrow and mountain-shaped lugs provide 360-degree security on sketchy terrain. The way the lugs extend slightly beyond the heel is excellent for braking power and steering when the terrain gets slick. The lugs are texturized, which adds a bit more oomph to their overall gripping prowess.

Our only gripe with the outsole of the Mont Blanc is that the Vibram Litebase sits like a lattice over the Altra Ego Pro foam, which leaves some of the foam exposed to abrasive surfaces. This shoe is a total beast until you catch that foam on a sharp granite process or a bike pedal, as we did — the softer material is super susceptible to being damaged. While this ultimately doesn't change the traction and function of the shoe, it is too pricey for us to feel comfortable with any type of degeneration so quickly.

Sensitivity

As we well know, sensitivity and carbon plates do not typically coexist well. What the Mont Blanc Carbon has in responsiveness and protection, it lacks in sensitivity and underfoot feel.

This isn't the least sensitive shoe we have ever tested, but it certainly doesn't provide an intimate trail feel. The forefoot stack height stands at 27 mm thick, and the heel at 29 mm, which is on the lower end of average. This technically gives these “zero drop” shoes a 2 mm drop while running — but when standing still, the geometry of the shoe keeps your heel and forefoot on the same plane. While the stack trends toward average, the addition of the carbon plate inhibits a bit of your trail feel. Because of how functional and flexible the plate is, we don't mind the lack of sensitivity, but we also know that some runners may prefer to be a bit more acquainted with the trails beneath their feet.

Stability

You've come to the right place if you are looking for a race shoe that offers responsiveness and stability. The Altra Mont Blanc is not the most stable zero-drop shoe to have ever existed, but it might be the most stable racing shoe on the market today.

Because the carbon plate of the Mont Blanc is shaped like a, well, plate instead of a banana, runners are treated to a comfortable base of support without a lot of lateral play involved. The flexibility of the Carbitex plate allows runners' feet to flex and move naturally, creating inherent stability. The lateral edges of the Mont Blanc aren't especially rigid, so this isn't going to be a shoe to help correct gait issues, but for the average runner, this shoe feels stable. The lateral sides are vented for comfort, which is part of why they don't feel corrective. Many race-focused shoes feel vaulted and unnatural. If this is a sensation you are familiar with and want to avoid, the Mont Blanc may just be the perfect race shoe for you.

Comfort and Fit

The Mont Blanc is a bit more narrow than the standard Altra shoe, which is something Altra fanatics should know upfront. It is not quite as narrow and punishing as the Altra Timp 5, but it isn't as spacious and juicy as the Lone Peak 8.

The Mont Blanc falls somewhere in the middle of the Altra scale, offering their iconic Footshape design but with a bit less wiggle room. The inner textiles are light and soft to the touch without feeling overly plush, which is a sensation that our testers love when it comes to trail shoes. The midfoot taper is slightly narrow but gives way to a semi-spacious toebox. The Mont Blanc has a dual-gusseted tongue, but its anchor materials aren't stretchy, which takes away from the universality that could otherwise exist with this shoe. The tongue is lightweight with minimalistic padding, the balance of which prevents the laces from digging in without adding bulk or weight to the shoe. The laces of the Mont Blanc are extremely long. In order to create a solid lockdown, we needed to thread the laces through the extra eyelet. Even still, the laces are long and smooth. This resulted in the laces feeling kind of floppy and coming untied during runs when we opted out of double-knotting. For such an otherwise thoughtfully designed shoe, the lace details could use some upgrading.

Now, the heel. The previous version of the Mont Blanc was ridiculed due to its unnatural and uncomfortable heel design. Altra revised this by adding additional heel cushioning and a bit more flexibility. Even still, the heel collar is really wide — hence the need for us to use the heel lock eyelet for the laces. The heel cup is still a bit wide, and while we did not have any issues with it rubbing, we suspect that runners with narrower heels might.

Weight

Each Altra Mont Blanc shoe in women's size 6.5 weighs 7.04 ounces, which is light considering all this shoe offers.

The minimal weight of this shoe is well distributed. Picking up the pace in the Mont Blanc feels wonderful — there is nothing heavy or clunky about this Altra-made shoe. We love how light this grippy and protective shoe is.

Should You Buy the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon?

Most shoes are not going to be the perfect match for all runners, which is true for the Mont Blanc. It is lightweight, peppy, incredibly well-tractioned, and comfortable enough for long distances. The marriage of elements in this shoe has us singing its praises, with caveats going out to runners who want a steeper drop, more sensitivity, a stronger heel lock, or gait-correcting properties. If you are set on racing in a zero-drop, carbon-plated shoe, this is the only one we recommend. The Mont Blanc is on the very pricey side, so consider your needs and budget as you decide if this shoe is right for you.

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