Altra  Olympus 6 Trail-Running Shoes - Women's

I don't understand what Altra are doing with their heel box design. I have worn Lone Peaks for years - huge fan. Was looking for something slightly more cushioned. The heel box has this cushioned lug inside, which sits very low on the heel and I could instantly tell would cause blisters within the first mile. What is wrong with a traditional heel box?!! Grrr so frustrating. Without that massive design flaw, which I'm guessing was designed by someone who only ever wears flipflops, these shoes would be superb. In the photo, my line peak heel box is on the left, the Olympus on the right.

New ankle padding that wraps around the inside of the shoe back ends right under the ankle bone. It's hard, and ends abruptly in a stiff edge, not carried further forward as in Olympus 5. I can feel it against my ankle while just walking indoors, can't imagine backpacking with them. Seems like asking for blisters. Will return.

After testing out the Olympus 5s and being very disappointed with the sizing (also reflected in many other online reviews) I was super hopeful that Altra fixed the Olympus 6s just in time my late summer Camino Frances. And let me tell you! I love these babies! I’ve walked the full 500+ miles with not a single blister (the only person on the trail I’ve met who can say so). I sized up by half a size. Wore injini toe sock liners. Wore alpaca socks by Paka on top. A dream combo!

I’m normally a big Altra fan. Pretty much all I wear. And I especially love the line of higher cushion (Experience) so when I saw the new Olympus 6 come out, I got really excited and got them on the Memorial Day sale. I love the Vibram soles and the cushion: for that, they’re a perfect shoe. But the biggest flaw that cannot be overlooked is the heel pad. It left me with 2 huge blisters on heels. I thought that maybe they just need broken in but after the 3rd hike, I just couldn’t. I’m turning them in today, hoping for some Topos. But man, I’m just so disappointed with these. Hopefully Altra makes a change in the 7s because I do love every other part about them.

Whyyyy is the heel bed so high on this shoe? I didn't have enough space for my heel to fit snugly underneath the extra padding in the heel of this shoe; it felt like it was going to slip out with every step. I'm so sad because I really wanted to like these! In contrast, my heel fits perfectly in my old Torin 4s, Lone Peak 8s, and the Timp 5. Would love this shoe if not for this issue!

The Lone Peak has been my favorite shoe for ages, but I need something with more cushion, so I’ve been testing out the Olympus. I have the Olympus 5 and while I like it, I didn’t love it for long trails. I was hoping the Olympus 6 would be better. I can’t say that it is. The tongue is definitely an improvement and I love the max cushioning.I had to fold the previous tongue over so that it wouldn’t rub the front of my leg. The new one is softer and has a layer of light padding. Now, for the major difference…the heel cup/cushion. Can’t make sense of it and I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s literally a soft pillow that is sewn into the heel. I’m not sold on it yet, as it does have some stiff sewn edges that might prove to be bothersome with higher mileage. It feels okay, but odd, when you first put the shoe on. I don’t know what to make of it. My other complaint is that your heel sits very high in the heel bed. It doesn’t seem deep enough, so your heel doesn’t feel locked in. Continuing on with the complaints, the ankle collar/padding causes the shoe to flare out, allowing sand, pebbles, decomposed granite, etc to easily get into the shoe. Gaiters and long pants can help with this. Also, the toe box tends to have extra material that creases. The crease is there before you even put your foot in the shoe. Lastly, the inside lining around the heel on this shoe is similar to that on the Olympus 5. It is not durable. In fact, the insole wears a hole in it after a few rocky uneven trails when you find yourself side sloping or just stepping at an outside angle. My Lone Peaks have never done this, even after 200 mile backpacking trips on the JMT. Overall, these shoes do feel comfortable when you put your foot in them. I think they’d be very comfy for running errands or for daily wear, but I’m not thinking that’s the case for the trail or higher mileage use. I do love the color options for this model. I like the mauve and the red ones (very fun in person). Ultimately, I wish Altra would create a new model that puts the Lone Peak upper on a more cushioned sole.

These were my 7th pair of altra shoes. I love the lone peaks and solstice models most. After trying these extra cushiony versions for 6 or so months I needed up returning them. They’re not bad but not correct for my feet. First-they were more narrow than I’m used to with my other pairs and the toe box barely let me splay my toes. I couldn’t wear my correct toes with them without my pinky toe feeling squeezed. Second-at first the rocker in the sole felt fun like it made me walk faster but I think my feet/ankles were getting lazy and it ended up hurting my feet. I started feeling like my feet and lower legs got tighter and on the verge of plantar fasciitis.

I have put thousands of miles on several different pairs of Altra Olympus trail runners over the past four years. Every time I got a new pair, I could put them on and hike a dozen or more miles with absolutely no hot spots on my feet or time needed to "break them in". I have purchased every pair of the 4s that I could find online and, after reading negative reviews, I decided to bypass the 5s. Because my last pair of 4s has no tread left, I decided to try out the 6s. When I first put them on, it didn't feel like my heel was nested into the shoe; my foot didn't feel secure at all, so I took them off and let them live in the box for over a month. I missed the trails so much that I decided to give them another try. After 12 miles (three 4 miles hikes), the Achilles pillow has been compressed, my heels move too much, and both feet have incredibly painful blisters on their Achilles with hot spots to the left and right. I love the traction and the cushioning, but the heel situation makes them completely unusable.

I’m on my second pair of Altra Olympus trail runners and they are my go-to shoe for long distance hikes. I typically walk 300-600 miles in one go and I have never had a blister or any other foot problems with this shoe. They are perfect for my wide feet and I love the zero drop heel. For a soft soles shoe they have held up well, as well as more heavy duty trail runners I’ve had in the past. I’m buying my third pair because I’m headed out again next year and need to break them in. 100% sold on these.

The new heel feature is terrible!! It rubs my Achilles and feels like it’s about to fall off. Sadly I need to return. I have the Olympus 4s, I love them. PLEASE bring this design back!