“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
For many thru-hikers, that first step is in a pair of Altras. Since launching the Lone Peaks within the US in 2011, Altra has dominated the footwear marketplace for thru-hikers and bold day hikers alike. With iconic options like their Footshape toe field and 0 mm drop, Altra customers are leaving an increasing number of footprints on the paths they blaze.
Maintain studying to be taught extra in regards to the updates on the Lone Peak 9 and resolve if this may very well be the shoe for you this climbing season.
View of the brand new and improved outsole and higher on the Altra Lone Peak 9.
Altra Lone Peak 9 At a Look
MSRP: $140
Weight: 9.3 oz girls’s | 11.15 oz males’s
Cushioning: Mid
Heel-Toe Drop: 0mm
Stack Top: 25mm
Males’s Lone Peak 9 right here.
Circumstances of Evaluate
I obtained to check the Lone Peak 9 in December 2024. They carried me alongside the paths of east Tennessee and noticed their fair proportion of mud, rocks, and water crossings (no snow, although). Altogether I logged about 50 miles in these footwear earlier than scripting this overview.
I’ve solely hiked in Altra footwear for the previous a number of years. My shoe of selection is the Altra Olympus — I’ve logged round 5,000 miles in a number of pairs of Olympuses. I clearly am biased in the direction of Altra, however I haven’t worn the Lone Peak mannequin for the reason that first 500 miles of my AT-thru hike in 2021.
Supposed Use
Altra says the Lone Peaks are finest for path working, climbing, and thru-hiking. I agree: these are nice footwear to put on wherever outside the place you need a bit of further traction. They’re finest fitted to path use moderately than street working.
Why Altra?
Wider Toe Field
One of many greatest options that units Altra aside from different path runners is the model’s FootShape design. All of Altra’s footwear are made with bigger toe packing containers. At first look, it will probably make them look a bit of like clown footwear, however there’s a cause for the exaggerated entrance.
With extra room, your toes have the power to splay out very like they might in case you have been barefoot. Reasonably than having your toes squished collectively as in a regular shoe, this design provides your toes room to totally prolong, rising your stability. This interprets to higher steadiness and means that you can push off extra evenly when climbing.
It’s not unusual for hikers to need to go up a shoe measurement or two when thru-hiking. This wasn’t my expertise, however I did discover a change in my ft. My toes appeared to separate extra, and I wanted further room. This has been the important thing attraction to Altra for me through the years. My toes identical to the elevated room and don’t really feel cramped in these footwear.
Zero Drop
After I first obtained into the world of thru-hiking, I heard plenty of dialogue about heel-to-toe drop. I didn’t perceive what it meant, however I heard folks raving about Altra’s zero-drop footwear. Lastly, somebody defined to me that zero-drop simply implies that your foot sits fully flat within the shoe. In distinction, most footwear have a barely elevated heel (usually round 5mm). This implies your heel sits barely increased within the shoe in comparison with your toes and that the forefront of the shoe “drops” 5mm from the heel of the shoe.
Many avid Altra wearers discover that the zero-drop characteristic permits for extra pure foot posture, nearly as in the event that they have been barefoot. Nonetheless, in case you aren’t used to sporting a zero-drop shoe, the adjustment interval could be brutal. Because it’s comparatively unusual to search out zero-drop footwear, our ft aren’t used to sitting fully flat in footwear. This requires muscle tissues in your legs and ft to interact in methods they aren’t accustomed to and may trigger rising pains, actually.
On my 2021 thru-hike of the AT, I keep in mind so many hikers limping into Out of doors 76 in Franklin, NC to speak to the shoe guru, Rob. I witnessed many hikers swap out of Altra at this level as a result of they have been in a lot ache from adjusting to the zero-drop.
That is simply an instance of why it’s so vital to interrupt in your footwear earlier than an extended hike. The path runners themselves are versatile sufficient that they don’t really want a lot of a break-in interval, however your calves will want an opportunity to regulate to zero-drop.
Furthermore, you don’t need to spend weeks struggling simply to resolve a sure model isn’t for you. Simply because a model works for some folks doesn’t imply it would be just right for you, so check your gear earlier than embarking on an prolonged trek!
Altra’s MaxTrac supplies dependable traction.
Altra Lone Peak 9 Options
Traction/Outsole
The Lone Peak 9 has MaxTrac outsoles. That is the grippy backside part of the shoe. MaxTrac boasts an aggressive tread that can show you how to dig in and push ahead regardless of the terrain. I discovered that it held up properly in slick situations, and I used to be capable of transfer confidently over moist rocks.
Cushion/Midsole
The Lone Peak 9 makes use of proprietary Altra EGO midsole foam. Altra footwear supply 4 various ranges of cushion: low, mid, excessive, and max. The Lone Peak 9 is taken into account a “mid” cushion shoe, which I discovered soft sufficient to maintain me comfy all through lengthy days on my ft. This degree of cushion means that you can really feel linked to the bottom with out feeling such as you’re sporting platforms.
Rock Safety
The Lone Peak 9 has a Stoneguard insert to offer safety from underfoot rocks and particles. This helps to maintain you transferring over rocks and roots with out noticing each bump within the path.
Constructed-In Gaiter Attachment
The Lone Peak 9 has Altra’s signature GaiterTrap, a built-in strip of velcro behind the heel so you’ll be able to shortly connect gaiters to the shoe. A small steel tab on the high of the shoe supplies a second attachment level to maintain your gaiters snugly in place. Mountain climbing with gaiters helps to maintain small particles like rocks and stands out of your footwear and helps to maintain your socks (and ft) clear.
Altra’s GaiterTrap makes it fast and simple to connect your gaiters to your footwear.
Lone Peak 9 vs. Lone Peak 8: What’s Modified?
Probably the most noticeable distinction between the 8 and 9 fashions is the improved outsole on the 9. Each the Lone Peak 8 and 9 have MaxTrac outsoles, however there’s a seen distinction between the 2. The 9 has a splayed flange heel much like the Megagrip on the Altra Olympus. The outsole additionally extends additional up onto the forefront of the shoe in comparison with the 8 and provides a large space of protection, permitting for extra grip to push ahead off your toes and higher scramble up rocks.
Apart from these noticeable variations to the outsole, the higher allegedly might be extra sturdy. Each the 8 and the 9 are made with ripstop mesh, however the Lone Peak 9 makes use of 100% recycled ripstop and has been “designed for high-mileage sturdiness.” I didn’t discover any seen distinction within the higher, although, so solely time and extra miles will converse as to whether or not it’s really extra sturdy. In keeping with Altra’s web site, the midsole was additionally up to date, however once more, I didn’t see any particular variations between the 8 and 9.
Lone Peak 9 Execs
Good Shade Choices
I actually just like the choice of colours for the Lone Peak 9! Up to now, Altra has had restricted colours out there, together with some that I discovered downright ugly. I feel the colour palate for the Lone Peak 9 is extra modest and doesn’t have any colours which might be so vivid they harm your eyes to have a look at. The ladies’s colour choices are Tan, Black, Grey, Dusty Olive, Navy, Purple, and Teal. The lads’s choices are Grey, Black, Brown, Black/Crimson, Orange/Teal, Dusty Olive, and Navy.
Applicable Quantity of Cushion
As beforehand talked about, the Lone Peak 9 provides Altra’s mid-level cushion. My ft felt glad sporting these footwear for a number of hours and didn’t begin to get drained and achy. I usually choose the maximal cushion provided within the Olympus, however I felt just like the mid cushion was sufficient to remain comfy with out being inches off the bottom.
Higher Traction Than Earlier Fashions
The up to date MaxTrac outsoles supply a noticeable enchancment in traction. The outsole supplies prolonged protection onto the forefront of the shoe, permitting you to essentially dig in and roll ahead off your toes.
Light-weight and Comfy
An enormous promoting level in path runners in comparison with boots is how light-weight and comfy path runners are. Why put further pressure in your legs lugging round a cumbersome boot when you can hike in a glorified tennis shoe? The Lone Peak 9 is simple to interrupt in and doesn’t really feel cumbersome to put on.
Simple climbing within the Altra Lone Peak 9.
Lone Peak 9 Cons
Not Applicable for 4-Season Mountain climbing
These footwear are nice for climbing within the spring, summer time, and fall. Nonetheless, in case you plan to be climbing via snow or anticipate your ft to get moist and keep moist, the usual Lone Peak 9 just isn’t a superb possibility. Altra does make a water-proof possibility referred to as the ALL-WTHR that’s out there in low and mid cuts for added ankle assist.
Sturdiness
The typical via hiker will get between 500-700 miles out of a pair of path runners. In case you are planning a multi-month thru-hike, it’s best to anticipate to undergo a number of pairs of footwear. Each mannequin of Lone Peak that comes out has “improved” uppers which might be supposed to bolster their sturdiness, however I’ve discovered that it doesn’t matter what, the material will ultimately tear. Boots are usually extra sturdy than path runners, however doubtlessly at the price of some sacrificed consolation.
Zero Drop Not for Everybody
As beforehand talked about, a zero-drop shoe just isn’t for everybody. The fantastic thing about path runners is that they’re much quicker to interrupt in, however Altra can take some time to get used to. To assist with this adjustment interval, Altra just lately launched their first non-zero drop shoe, the Expertise Wild, which has a 4mm drop.
Outsole Not as Good With out Vibram
MaxTrac is Altra’s model of Vibram. Whereas Altra does have footwear with Vibram Megragrip outsoles, the Lone Peak just isn’t certainly one of them. MaxTrac is ok and will get the job finished, however I do consider Vibram supplies higher grip and traction, particularly in moist situations. There are different comparable manufacturers that use Vibram as properly.
Aggressive grip on the Altra Lone Peak 9.
In Conclusion …
The Lone Peak 9 is a good shoe. With a worth level that’s akin to comparable footwear available on the market, the Lone Peak is a stable selection. I began the AT in 2021 within the Lone Peak 4; I name that mannequin my starter shoe. They’re what first uncovered me to zero-drop and confirmed me simply how comfy climbing footwear may very well be.
Many fashions and years later, I feel the Lone Peak 9 is a standout selection for somebody who needs to be comfy in a practical path runner that can serve them properly. If you wish to put on path runners however aren’t certain the place to begin, this could be the shoe for you.
Store the Ladies’s Altra Lone Peak 9
https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/path/mens-lone-peak-9/AL0A85PG.htmlShop the Males’s Altra Lone Peak 9
Comparable Footwear
Topo Ultraventure 4
MSRP: $150
Heel-Toe Drop: 5mm
Weight: 10.4 oz males’s | 8.2 oz girls’s
HOKA Speedgoat 6
MSRP: $155
Heel-Toe Drop: 5mm
Weight: 9.8 oz males’s | 8.2 oz girls’s
The Altra Lone Peak 9 was donated for the aim of overview.
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