Mountain shoes
Product 2026
Woman, Man
This new Altra Olympus 275 Hilo looks massive at first glance, adopting the design language of an oversized shoe. Yet the foot does not sit particularly high off the ground, and the very wide platform provides excellent stability. Like all Altra products, the Altra Olympus 275 Hilo stays true to the brand’s zero-drop philosophy. It is therefore possible to combine a high-stack shoe with zero drop.
Several features of the Altra Olympus 275 Hilo immediately stand out. The first is the cushioning, which can be described as soft and highly noticeable throughout the entire length of the midsole. As a result, the forefoot also benefits from a particularly smooth feel on ground contact. The impact filtering is unmistakable: very effective, yet never overwhelming. It helps take the sting out of rocky descents and prevents the terrain from beating you up, while avoiding excessive lateral twisting.
As expected, the shoe offers plenty of room in the toe box. There is little need to dwell on this aspect, as it is one of Altra’s defining characteristics. You either like it or you don’t, but it is a deliberate technical choice.
Before getting into the outsole, it is worth highlighting the shoe’s remarkable flexibility and overall comfort — even a certain softness — in the way it wraps around the foot. The Matrix mesh upper features no seams or bulky areas that could cause discomfort. The Achilles area is particularly comfortable, with a soft textile collar. The top of the tongue initially feels a little too prominent for our liking when flexing the ankle. However, we changed our mind after putting in more miles, as this area softens and becomes more comfortable over time.
The Vibram Megagrip outsole features highly effective lugs and a soft rubber compound that provides very reliable grip across most surfaces encountered in trail running.
The heel is securely held in place at the back of the Altra Olympus 275 Hilo. The heel pull tab makes the shoe very easy to put on. The toe bumper is well designed and does not make the front of the shoe excessively stiff.
Once running, as mentioned above, the cushioning immediately comes into play. The transition towards the forefoot is not particularly pronounced, so you need to actively drive the Altra Olympus 275 Hilo forward, as the shoe has very little rocker. Forefoot strikers will be noticeably better suited to this shoe than runners who land on their heels. We particularly appreciated its torsional rigidity.
The construction is solid and the materials are high quality. We weighed the Altra Olympus 275 Hilo at 283 grams in a size US 9.5 / EU 42.5.
Overall, this is a very good shoe for running on a wide variety of terrain, offering excellent stability and highly reassuring traction. Zero drop is combined with a high stack and powerful cushioning that never compromises stability.
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We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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