Altra Olympus 275 HiLo

At first glance they're ridiculous. But then you notice your eyes wandering back to the fluorescent letters, gaiter, laces, and tread, and you think, 'well, actually...' as your inner raccoon stretches its fat little arms, rubs its eyes, and decides there is something appealing here to see. To offset the fluorescent, the main body of the uppers is clean dishwater gray and white, the perfect canvas for covering in the geologic array of dust and debris found through the Sierra.

Or the basin and range. Or Rockies. Or even the loamy muds of the Appalachians. These shoes don't discriminate. They were designed for the mountains, and to the mountains they shall go, taking me with them.

I bought these shoes after doing a couple backpacking trips in my beloved Lone Peak 9+ and realized I needed a little extra cushion to go with that extra weight, but as soon as I tried on the 275s and did a little jog around the store I began dreaming of a long run. They're softer than the Olympus 7, and maybe a little wider. I thought perhaps I'd put on a cloud since they're almost a full ounce lighter than the Olympus 7, lighter even than my lower cushion Lone Peak 9+ (don't take this as a slight against Lone Peaks, I love them and have logged hundreds of miles and all three races of my illustrious career in them. They are, as I said, beloved. But damn, are these 275s light).

At this point I haven't even left the store and I'm coveting hard. The kind of coveting reserved for your neighbor's wife. All that's left to do is swallow the pain of a $200 price point by telling myself that as long as I get 200 miles out of them I break even, and go frolic.

And frolic I did. Hours of sandy trail, wooded trail, rocky trail, and trail that was barely trail. In our first week together we logged 43 miles, ticking off trails I had yet to explore, starting with the Discovery Trail and Methuselah Walk in the Bristlecones. Though the Bristlcones were less rocky than what I intended this shoe for, it was a fantastic run. If it went on for twenty miles, I'd be a happy little bug. I worried the thicker cushion would make the shoes float too much, and I would lose agility among the hazards of the Eastern Sierra trail system, but because they're so soft and pliable, they have the agility and groundfeel of a more minimalist shoe. This combined with the vibram sole, made them great for pounding down the sandy staircases and granite slabs of Piute Pass without losing grip or all the cartilage in my knees as I ran out to Desolation Lake and back a few days later.

And that gaiter. Oh, that gaiter. Even in ankle socks I didn't suffer the pebbles that usually plague my heels in this sandy place. Though a true gaiter would still be better in scree, this little guy meant I found only a single tiny rock in my shoes when I took them off after the sand pits of Tamarack Lakes and Hilton Lakes in Rock Creek.

All in all, these shoes hit the spot as my more cushioned Lone Peak alternative for the harder packed, extra rocky trails, or anytime I find myself switching between trails, pavement, and gravel. Or even just for logging longer miles as I remember what it means to be a runner. They're made for it all.