I have loved hiking for years. For the hiking I had done, I used the Altra Timps for the last several years. They were lightweight and had good enough soles. They even worked for the rocky trails in Central Pennsylvania.
Heading into hiking the Appalachian Trail, however, called for something different. The lighter weight shoes would have been amazing, but at the time, the Timps didn’t have Vibram soles. I needed the Vibram soles so that I would feel confident on any trail surface I encountered. The uppers are also more sturdy and provide more support, and they have a large enough toe box that my wide feet have room to breathe.
My first pair of Altra Olympus shoes were version V (the white shoes in the picture). While these were a fantastic step up from my Timps, I felt like I had to have the laces tied exactly right for the shoes to work on me. If my foot moved around too much, I would develop hot spots. After 500-600 miles on these shoes, I upgraded to version VI in black. The excitement about the new heel cup was real: it positioned my feet in a way where I didn’t need the precise tying in, and they stayed in position naturally.
I purchased my third pair at an Altra outlet, a compelling purple. I did take them out for one trip in 2025, for about 100 miles.
I’m sure I’ll need a 4th pair to finish the Appalachian trail. I don’t know when the Olympus 7 will come out, but if it’s too different from the VI, I’ll have to stick with the VI for as long as they sell them.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the Altra Olympus VI, and will continue purchasing.