Altra Mont Blanc Speed Review

In 2024 Altra released the Mont Blanc Carbon, a completely revamped version of their original, somewhat divisive original Mont Blancs. Unlike the OGs, the Carbons reviewed well: with a good locked down fit, lightweight feel, grippy sole and a full length carbon plate.

There were also, however, £220, an insane amount to spend on a shoe. They were marketed as "race day" shoes too, which means they've been designed to withstand a few races, not large amounts of mileage.

It was a bit of a shame, I wanted a shoe with similar specs, fit and feel, but without the expensive, slightly gimmicky carbon plate.

Well Altra answered my prayers, and in 2025 released the Mont Blanc Speed: a very similar shoe with a little more durability / padding, the carbon plate swapped out for a stone guard, and an easier to stomach £165 price tag.

I cannot express enough how much this has become the Altra trail shoe for me over the last month of testing. It's got the spacious wide welcoming fit of a Lone Peak, but none of the unnecessary weight or "ploddiness". It's got more cushion, great grip, a better rocker and is one of Altra's lightest models.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's break the shoe down first

Specs

• They weight 286g
• The outsole is 3.5mm of Vibram Megagrip Litebase, a lightweight version of the popular and dependable Megagrip compound
• The midsole is a mixture of Ego Max (a softer foam) that wraps around an Ego Pro core (a firmer more responsive foam) designed to be responsive, giving us a stack height of 29mm (for reference the Lone Peaks are 24mm, the Olympus 6s are 33mm)
• In the midsole is a TPU plate which acts as a stone guard
• The upper is a breathable ripstop fabric that's a little more padded than the Carbons, it has a comfortable road shoe feel to it
• There is a heel counter, one of Altra's better ones with a firmer grip
• Laces are a good length, plenty to tie a heel lock

Fit & Feel

These fit true to size: length wise they are similar to the Lone Peaks, and longer than the Olympus 6s and Timp 5s by roughly 1/2 a size.

Width wise they have a "standard" toe box which means the width is closer to the Timp and Experience Wild. At the big toe it's very wide, as wide as a Lone Peak, however the toe box tapers off earlier across the toes so has a bit more of a precise fit.

Stepping into them, the extra cushion and lightweight nature of them is immediately apparent.

The laces and the tongue are their weakest point IMHO: whilst the tongue is more comfortable than that of the Mont Blanc Carbons, it bunches up easily and gets caught under the laces. The laces themselves are decent: grippy and a good length, but combined with the tongue I found myself adjusting them a fair bit. I ended up tying loosely across the midfoot then using a firmer heel lock to get the comfort right.

The heel counter does its job well, very happy with how it feels. I felt locked in well without any discomfort.

How They Run

First up: compared to the Mont Blanc Carbon, they feel much less firm underfoot with the carbon plate missing, so are more comfortable in general on hard surfaces.

The combination of the light weight and rocker makes them a joy to pick up the pace in, I loved how rapid I felt in them and didn't really miss the plate.

I had to adjust the laces a few times to get a comfortable fit: striking a balance between the shoes feeling locked down, but not uncomfortably tight, did take some practise.

The grip performs very well, as you'd expect from Vibram. The lugs are closer to hybrid environments like light trail, gravel and thin mud, but would struggle in thicker sloppier conditions I would imagine.

Generally, they were a lot of fun to run in. I don't get the heavy ploddiness I feel in other Altras like the Lone Peak or Olympus, but I still get the comfort of a nice spacious shoe. This is the closest in a while I've come to a shoe you can lace up and just forget about.

What I Liked

• Grips works nicely despite a short lug depth, it bites the ground well
• The midsole is firm yet comfortable, not excessively cushioned, you can still feel the ground well, but enough that it's not harsh underfoot
• Lock down well with the laces and the heel counter
• Fast, lightweight springy feel with a good rocker
• Comfortable padded upper
• TPU plate for protecting my feel from sharp rocks
• Good length grippy laces

What I Disliked

• Uncomfortable tongue that needs a bit of adjustment
• The Ego Pro core in the midsole can feel firm on hard surfaces

Next

The Mont Blanc Carbons were just a bit too firm and uncomfortable for me, whilst my first love, the Lone Peaks, are a bit too heavy and ploddy now. What Altra have done with the Speeds is put out a great happy medium between the two.

I think as a good jack of all trades hybrid trail racer Altra have nailed them.

These are my main trail running shoes for 2026 now, I'm really happy with the Speeds. I'm currently aiming to use these for each of the Ona Series 100 milers next year.