Altra Lone Peak 9+ GTX Review: Ready for the Rough Stuff

Introduction to the Altra Lone Peak 9 Plus GTX

JOHN: Ahhh, here we go, the iconic Lone Peak! It’s that friend who’s got your back no matter what bullshit you get into, that girl that loves you even when you get yourself in the darkest corner, it’s basically a family member. As far as legacy for me, when it comes to trail shoes, I think of the Lone Peak and the Brooks Cascadia. These two shoes absolutely got me started in trail running. The Lone Peak is the shoe I could just buy at a race expo and use the next day in the race right out of the box. It’s consistent, relatively inexpensive, and you know what you are getting. I have some friends who only use the Lone Peak! It’s all they ever run in.

I’ve used the Lone Peak for a long time, run many races and long runs in them over the years. I’m pretty sure I’ve owned more pairs of the Lone Peak than any other shoe. With that said, though, I’ve always dreamed about what the Lone Peak would be like with a Vibram outsole. Well, thanks to Believe in the Run, I finally got my wish! But the question is: is it good? Was it worth it? Can you just up and change something like this? What could happen?

I took the Lone Peak 9+ GTX on some local trails and a New Year’s Day mountain run. Let’s see how it did!

MICHAEL: I’m going to echo John’s nostalgic sentiment here and also say that when it comes to peak early aughts shoes, the first versions of the Lone Peak and Cascadia come to mind. Perhaps I’d throw some Montrail in there, but that’s a deep cut for another time. And remember, just because social media says it’s fun to give Altra a hard time, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. Except, of course, for a good Believe in the Run review, which I would like to mention happens to be for myself at least 100% free, good ol’ fashioned shoe journalism. To speak to the problems of AI-generated review content on the internet would, of course, be another deep cut (rant?) for another time.

So, let’s get into the Lone Peak, which returns for its 9th edition with a few upgrades to an otherwise standard Altra layout. Within the 9+ GTX name, the 9 here simply carries a similar midsole formulation, fit, and general vibe as previous models, and the ‘+’ and GTX signifiers indicate a hot new Vibram Megagrip Outsole (Yes! Hello!) and GTX indicates a Gore-Tex treatment for waterproof coziness on all of your favorite snow runs. Over the years, Altra has had a hard time balancing the preferences of the broader market (a higher stack, a slightly slimmer last, a 4 mm drop) with those of its devotees. Without giving away too much, I think version 9 (+ GTX) does a great job of holding those two markets in a happy tension.

What we like about the Altra Lone Peak 9+ GTX

JOHN: I love you, Lone Peak. I wish I had more to write here, but let’s get to the good stuff.

I feel like the fit is the best part about this shoe. It worked excellently with my US M11.5 foot. I didn’t feel any stiffness in the upper with the GTX. It’s very seamless.

The GTX worked excellently at protecting against the elements and didn’t cause any issues with comfort or overheating. I did multiple water crossings and had no issues at all with anything getting into the shoe. It was great!

MICHAEL: Whilst both John and I are no strangers to participating in popular Altra critique nowadays, I really think this version of the Lone Peak does a fantastic job adding appropriate upgrades to a popular and time-tested chassis. Regarding the chassis, Altra doesn’t stray too far from the beaten path. It’s a zero-drop midsole, an “Original” footshape last, and a relatively low-profile Ego foam midsole that gets the job done here. It’s all great and good, and there’s a level of quality here that I found to be appreciably higher than that of the recently reviewed Timp 5. Features such as the gaiter attachment loops and subtle mountain vista styling round out the total package with a little nostalgic charm.

Where things get interesting, however, is the upgraded outsole and, in this particular version, Gore-Tex upper treatment. Lots has been written, of course, about these popular off-the-shelf features, so I won’t go into incredible detail necessarily, but I will say that both of them really make sense for taking a trusted platform in the Lone Peak and giving it a bit more capability for long days and snowy trails. Previously, I never would have considered the Lone Peak for say, an hour-long morning loop on frozen trails, but thanks to these upgrades, this shoe is my new go-to.

Specific to this usage of Megagrip, I really appreciated that Altra sprung for the full-coverage treatment. There’s nothing scant about it, ultimately giving this version of the lone peak a more secure, stable feel underfoot with a little more ground protection thrown in. Once more, this only serves to increase the Lone Peak’s viability for more rugged adventures and daily use.

What we don’t like about the Altra Lone Peak 9+ GTX

JOHN: Unfortunately, this shoe was a challenging review for me. It felt extremely stiff underfoot. The first 6-mile run I did in these was supposed to be 9, but I cut it short. I did a 15-mile run next in the shoe, and it felt better, but still it wasn’t a great feeling.

I haven’t used a pair of running shoes that required a “break-in period” for a while, and anyone who knows me knows I’m not picky with shoes. If I get in something to review, I’ll wear it on pretty much any race I have coming up, even a 100-miler.

I’m not sure specifically if it was the Altra Ego midsole or the Vibram outsole, but I didn’t want to push any pace on my initial run, and I felt like it was just survival. Maybe this pair was defective or something. I wear a lot of zero-drop and minimal shoes, but they just didn’t feel very comfortable to run in right out of the box. Second run, it did start to feel better, but it wasn’t great. I’ve done many reviews at Believe in the Run and tried on many shoes, just being a runner and working in a run specialty shop. With that said, I straight up can’t remember having to break in shoes like this. It really wasn’t enjoyable.

MICHAEL: In my estimation, this iteration of the Lone Peak is a great example of what constitutes a solid update to a ‘legacy’ model. However, despite the extra pizzazz of the ‘plus,’ there are a few things Altra falls prey to here. One classic blunder with waterproof shoes is that the extra material isn’t really accounted for when fitting up the last, often creating a much thicker upper and thereby reducing the overall volume your foot has to live and work in. This was true of the Lone Peak, and it took multiple runs to get used to the sensation of the material bunching up awkwardly on my foot.

Gore-Tex really works well for stiff hiking boots, but for ultra-flexible low-to-the-ground trail runners, it feels like someone made an upper out of two layers of thick canvas material and several layers of wax paper wedged in between. I’m sure shoe lasts are expensive to produce and reproduce, so it would be kind of crazy for a shoe company to use an entirely different last for their GTX models compared to their summer models, but I think the payoff in fit could be noticeable. Maybe Altra is already doing that, and there’s just no way around the awkward thickness? Who’s to say?

John mentioned issues with the midsole being too stiff. I can see where he’s coming from, and after my initial break-in period, I noticed some residual stiffness in the midfoot and heel of the shoe. I think much of this has to do with the increased durometer (and potentially thickness) from the Vibram outsole, and I’d be very interested to see if the non-Vibram versions have the same feel. As far as being on the trails goes, I found the extra stiffness to be basically inconsequential, if not positive even.

Additionally, it should be noted that my feet just straight up smell so bad after wearing waterproof shoes. No amount of “breathability” in these materials seems to hold up to the stench. At least they’re warm!

Final thoughts on the Altra Lone Peak 9+ GTX

JOHN: Lone Peak, I hate to do this to you. This is like having to cut ties with that girlfriend that you almost married, but knew in your heart was wrong. I feel like when Nino Brown had to shoot his guy G-Money in New Jack City. I’ve got that kind of love for this shoe, we’ve got years together doing adventures!

The difficult thing as a reviewer is reviewing a stiff shoe that requires a break-in. I can’t take a month to review a shoe. It’s just not workable; we need to get our reviews out faster than that to let people know. Also, if a shoe still feels funky after 21 miles on varied technical terrain covering all aspects of trail running, I’m not going to go further than that. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some wouldn’t want to review this shoe after the initial run. I love running in all shoes, which is why I do reviews for Believe in the Run, but I found myself having to dig deep to finish this review (like I’m at mile 80 of a 100-miler).

As long as I’ve wanted a Vibram Lone Peak, I’m pretty disappointed. As mentioned above, I’m probably one of the least nitpicky reviewers at Believe in the Run, but in the year 2026, I really can’t fathom a $180 shoe that needs to be broken in like this. And it’s not like I’ve never run in Altras with Vibram. I just reviewed the new Timp, and that was fine; it was soft and ready to go out of the box.

I really think the Topo Terraventure is a good alternative to the Lone Peak. There wasn’t any stiffness or break-in period on that shoe; it feels a lot like what you’d expect the Lone Peak to feel like. The Lone Peak 9+ may be better as a hiking shoe. That’s probably what I’m going to end up using it for. My hope is that Altra listens to this feedback and makes changes. I don’t like writing negative reviews; it sucks (especially about a shoe I’ve enjoyed for years).

MICHAEL: Whilst my fellow man John’s negative experiences with the Lone Peak 9+ GTX have evoked quite the bout of heartbreak, I can’t say mine were all that bad in this version. In fact, I quite enjoyed my time in the shoe, and will likely reach for it a surprising amount over the ensuing winter months. By and large, I don’t wear many shoes without Vibram outsoles in my neck of the woods unless I’m specifically reviewing something, so the outsole upgrade takes care of that.

Additionally, the GTX here really keeps things cozy. Beyond that, I enjoyed this update to the Lone Peak for what it is, and I certainly appreciated this shoe more than the recently reviewed Timp 6. Even with all the upgraded third-party features, $180 is still really pricey, but if you know the Lone Peak works for you and you want to try the latest and greatest, I can see this being a great pick.

You can pick up the Altra Lone Peak 9+ GTX for $180 from Altra by using the buttons below.