Altra Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX review

The Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX has a narrower target audience than most other day hiking boots. But you may be part of it if you are in search of the following:

• a zero-drop boot which places the heel and the forefoot at one level
• an unprecedently wide and spacious toebox with an ergonomic shape
• a max-cushioned chunky boot for high-mileage thru hikes on moderate terrain

If you're not a fan of a zero-drop offset, you may want to consider equally comfortable and cushioned boots with a more traditional 8-9 mm drop:

• Hoka Anacapa 2 Mid GTX
• Inov8 Roclite Pro Mid GTX (also comes with a spacious toebox)

Both alternatives are cheaper than the Olympus and have a moderate weight.

Another highly cushioned option for less advanced hikes is the New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX.

The midsole of the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX appears to be gigantic at first sight. But in reality, our foot sat more inside that platform and not so much on top of it.

When we cut the boot in half and measured its stack height with a calliper, it showed a pretty moderate reading of 31.6 mm. This is lower than the 33 mm stated by Altra and also lower than the average of hiking boots.

But on the bright side, any hiking platform above 30 mm provides sufficient protection from impact and debris during longer hikes so we didn't find that lacking in the Olympus.

What really makes this Altra boot feel max-cushioned is its towering forefoot stack of 31.0 mm.

Even though it is 2 mm away from the promised 33 mm, it is still one of the thickest we've recorded in the lab. Even taller than all the chunky Hoka boots.

Atra stays true to its zero-drop promise which was confirmed by our in-house stack measurements. With just a minor discrepancy of 0.6 mm, we applaud the brand's manufacturing quality and precision!

Zero-drop implies that there is no (0 mm) difference in height in the boot's platform thickness in the heel and in the forefoot. This offset puts the foot flat on the midsole similarly to its natural standing position on a flat surface.

But here is the kicker...

Zero-drop (or even low-drop) hiking boots are NOT for everyone. There is a good reason why the average heel-to-toe drop of outdoor boots hovers around 14 mm - you need that heel elevation to take the stress off your feet and Achilles tendons for covering long miles with a heavy backpack.

And if you've never tried a low-drop boot before, you want to take it very slow and decrease the drop very gradually to let your body adapt to the new biomechanics. Try choosing a 5-6 mm drop before you switch to a full-on zero-drop boot like the Olympus 6 Mid.

As the name suggests, this Atra boot is built on the basis of the popular Olympus 6 trail running shoe. And to our disappointment, it uses a similar EVA foam which is pretty basic considering the boot's higher-end price.

It is not a bad material per se as it provided the necessary compression to keep us well-cushioned all throughout the hike but the price left us wishing for more.

Pressing a Shore A durometer against the foam, we got a higher reading than in the low-cut version. At 27.0 HA, it is notably firmer than the shoe's cushioning (20.0 HA) but still within the "balanced" softness range by our standards.

This goes in line with the brand's description: "Float: Soft, Stable, Balanced." But if you're wondering what a plush hiking boot feels like, check out the New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX (14.7 HA) which is also based off a running shoe.

Having tested dozens of hiking boots, we couldn't help but notice that softer foams tend to get much firmer in lower temperatures. And the Olympus 6 Mid Hike GTX is no exception.

Exposing the boot to freezing conditions for 20 minutes, our durometer showed a notably higher reading of 35.5 HA which is 32% firmer compared to the room temperature measurement.

In other words, don't expect the Olympus to feel equally soft in the high noon and first thing in the chily morning. It takes some breaking in to return to its original softness.

Good thing that the boot's insole doesn't freeze solid and you can rely on its generous padding for comfort. Our calliper measured its thickness at 5.8 mm in the heel.

Now's the time to talk about the elephant in the room - the Original FootShape Fit. The largest of all Altra's fit shapes (Original, Standard, and Slim) it offers tonnes of space for the toes to splay as freely as they desire.

But how spacious are we talking? We created a gel mould to find out.

At 98.8 mm in the widest part of the mould, it is significantly wider than average hiking boot toebox! So if you ever felt like your boots didn't offer enough wiggle room, this could be your option.

But the boot is wide not only in the metatarsal area, it keeps its wide shape all the way to the front creating a rounded (even square) space for the toes. Our calliper showed a whopping 80.7 mm of width near the big toe!

Altra positions this silhouette as most optimal for natural movement and we could certainly feel the benefits of such freedom. However, not everyone is a fan of the added toe space. Hikers with narrower feet or those who prefer a snug climbing-like fit for technical and rocky terrain will not enjoy the excessive or even dead toebox space.

This is one of the reasons why we think it's best to reserve the Altra Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX for light and moderate terrain.

The puzzle wouldn't be complete without an equally generous toebox height. Clocking in at 33.5 mm, the boot's vertical space is simply unprecedented.

It is important to emphasise that the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX is more than just a high-collared trail running shoe because its upper design is a far cry from the low-cut version.

The boot's constructed collar, as Altra calls it, paired well with the wide platform to provide excellent lateral stability and ankle support.

But even though we never felt off-balance in this Altra boot, we found its overall containment better suited for moderate terrain. Complex landscapes call for a much sturdier foothold, in our opinion.

Another important note goes out to hikers with moderate-to-severe overpronation - this Altra boot can exaggerate your condition! Even though it has a stiff and wide platform, the entire boot somehow makes your foot want to lean inwards. Please be mindful of that, the brand tags it as a boot with "neutral" support. 

The base of the Olympus 6 Hike Mid is massively rigid. Despite the absence of shanks or TPU stabilisers, we found it impossibe to twist this Altra boot, rating its torsional stiffness with the highest score - 5/5!

Its raised midsole walls and sturdy nubuck leather create a tonne of resistance thus minimising the risk of foot buckling and ankle rolling.

Despite its burly appearance, the constructed collar of the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX has a lot of give in the rearfoot. Pushing and squeezing it in our manual test, we couldn't rate its stiffness any higher than 3/5.

On one hand, it detracts from the boot's support on the more technical stretches. But on the other hand, it makes it feel much more comfortable on moderate hikes where some ankle mobility is in fact welcome. There is no digging into your Achilles on steep downs, for example.

The chunky midsole dimensions of the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX gave us very strong Hoka vibes. And when we measured its width with a calliper, it proved to be very close to that of the Hoka Kaha 2 GTX!

In the widest part of the forefoot, we got an above-average reading of 117.6 mm!

It didn't come as a surprise that the heel of this Altra boot also turned out to be on the wide side. With a whopping heel width of 102.2 mm, it is one of the most massive hiking boot platforms we've tested!

A big base like that is perfect for maintaining stability on long hikes with heavy loads! But you plan to hike some obstacle-laden and off-camber trails where precise foot placement is essential, you may want to opt for a narrower platform. 

You can't expect much flexibility from a high-stack boot with a thick leather upper and a rugged outsole. That's why we weren't surprised at an above-average reading of 47.2N on our force gauge. This Altra boot takes some extra force to bend to a 90-degree angle.

But the good news is that you want a stiffer platform for added support on those long thru hikes.

And if the air starts to chill, you can expect the Olympus to lose even more of that minimal flexibility it had. After a 20-minute freezer session, the stiffness of this Altra boot increased by 33% and ended up among the most freezing-prone boots on our roster.

Just as described in its specs, the Altra Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX turned out to be a nice and light day hiking boot!

Despite its burly appearance, it doesn't feel dragging on foot and showed a very reasonable weight of 16.2 oz (458g) in a men's US sie 9. This is, in fact, even lighter than what's stated in the specs - 18.6 oz (528g) - although Altra doesn't mention what size it was taken from.

If you are in search of a summer-ready boot, the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX is NOT it. Its nubuck leather upper and Gore-Tex waterproofing are a much better combo for hikes in cooler spring and fall.

It may seem like the cavities throughout the boot's leather are ventilation pores but our close-up microscope inspection showed otherwise.

However, there is some degree of in-boot air circulation which helps to wick the sweat away. We found that the entire length of its insole is perforated to aid with that.

The Altra Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX features the Invisible Fit type of Gore-Tex membrane which bonds directly with the other upper materials which makes it invisible indeed. And yet, it doesn't make it any less effective! This technology prevents moisture from seeping inside the boot at the very stage of contact - be it getting caught in a rain or crossing a shallow creek.

Altra equipped the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX with a sturdy nubuck leather and a large rubber toe rand for added durability and protection from sharp bushes, sticks, and stones.

Drilling the top of its toebox with sandpaper for 12 seconds, we saw some material chipping away but the Dremel didn't get even halfway through the leather! Considering the minor damage (mostly cosmetic), we rated the toebox durability of this Altra boot with a high score of 4/5.

Unfortunately, the inner material of the Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX showed no wear resistance at all! Our sandpaper drill left a glaring hole in it in mere seconds! We found it unacceptable considering the price point of this boot.

On a positive note, the durability of its Vibram rubber outsole did not disappoint.

Pressing a Shore C durometer against the compound, we got a fairly high reading of 85.0 HC. An indicator of proper hardness, it is also a contributor to the boot's longevity.

Having driled the boot's Vibram rubber for 18 seconds at 10K RPM speed, we nodded with approval as the dent was barely even noticable! As our tread gauge showed, the damage was as shallow as 0.6 mm - even smaller than the average!

Altra also made the base rubber layer thicker to protect the bottom of the midsole. Clocking in at 3.3 mm, it is even a bit thicker than average. The added material helps to extend the boot's life when lugs start to wear off.

The Vibram Megagrip outsole pattern of this Altra boot features medium-deep lugs of 3.8 mm. As our weartests showed, this treading belongs to light and moderate terrain and is not too aggressive to be worn on hard-packed trails and urban surfaces.

It offers a strong bite on moss-covered logs, shallow dirt, and boulders but we wouldn't trust it on deeper mud and rock-heavy trails.

In our opinion, the Altra Olympus 6 Hike Mid GTX is overpriced , just like the Olympus 6 running shoe. Sure, the boot has some niche features like zero-drop or an extra roomy toebox but they are not every hiker's cup of tea. What's more, the boot's close competition is much more reasonably priced.

The branding stripe around the boot's heel is made of reflective material. It is not very large but ensures some night-time visibility.

Altra packed a tonne of padding in the tongue and collar of the Olympus 6 Hike without compromisisng the boot's weight. Measuring its tongue thickness returned a notably thicker-than-average reading of 15.1 mm.

A fully-integrated tongue of this Altra boot creates a seamless hug around the ankle. It contributes to the locked-in fit as well as enhancing waterproofing.

The boots has two finger loops - one on the tongue and one of the heel collar. Both a large and easy to use for quicker on-and-off.

The insole is not glued and can be easily removed is necessary. However, given its shape and perforated nature, finding a good replacement can be tricky.