I think a lot of people would agree with you!

Hi, Andrea! You’re absolutely right about stability being increased the closer your foot is to the ground! It’s why we love minimalist and barefoot shoes so much (including the Lone Peak). Keep an eye out for more posts about that this season!

Color choice can certainly be tricky when picking out hiking and running shoes, lol!

@Alisha McDarris, I agree with the comment about clearance. I just randomly happened upon a short period when they were super low before they went back up. I hesitated because my son only wears neutrals, and the pair for him at the best price was teal with purple highlights. He reacted excitedly but thanked me and said he’d save them for when his LP6s failed. They’ll be a fashion challenge for him, but he needs one.

@Ron Adam, that’s an interesting perspective. I’m older, too, with many miles running on pavement and soft trails, plus a knee injury from being hit by a van while fishing on a bridge. But, the Altra 6’s were great for me as a hiker who was taking a year off for a variety of reasons, so no running or long hikes but just walking and stair claiming in tall buildings in extended underground networks between city buildings plus everything else I do as they have been my primary shoe for over a year in all weather. (The drainage holes were not winter-friendly, but I could have put tape inside to block the ventilation.)

I talked with Altra about the Olympus, but the thick padding might make it less stable due to its height. I read a medical study that said the closer the foot is to the ground, the less likely it is for older people to fall. How do you feel about that?

For my son’s LP7s, which he hasn’t tried on yet, they look the same width in men’s 10.5 as my women’s 10.5 LP6s. I’ll have him try them on, but I suspect his heels will slip too, as they have on every shoe I’ve bought him ever since the Lone Peak 6. He’s saving his 7’s for when his 6’s finally fail. I’ll have him try them tonight so we can return them if we can’t make them work in the sizes we have. I suspect I’ll need a 10.5 with a heel insert and he’ll need an 11 with a heel insert. The lowest prices are gone, though, sadly.

By the way, I talked with the Altra rep the other day, and she said that the heel cup does have more structure in the 7. I’m pretty sure that’s why they slip in my heel. The cup keeps the heel from conforming to my heel.

Does anyone sell a minimalist shoe with a AAAA heel, B midfoot, and C toe box for women and a B heel for men, C midfoot, and E toe box? I didn’t think so. What would I do to make the heels narrower without it coming out or having a negative effect?

To be thorough, I should mention that the whole shoe feel stiff and grabs my attention when I wear the LP7’s, but the LP6’s felt like slippers from the beginning and I sometimes forget I have them on when going to take a quick nap. It might be that you get a slipper-like feel OR durability. My previous Brooks and New Balance shoes felt better than the LP7s in that respect, but I will never go back to those high-drop shoes. Also, with the heel lock, the laces are far too short even to tie a normal bow. They also come undone easily. Why is that?

I love my LP6’s so much that I’m still hoping there’s an LP solution. I also go the 7’s at a great price and it’s gone UP since I got them. So, argh. Feeling like I might keep the 7’s for around town and consider some hikers for hiking since I actually don’t run anymore. If my son’s shoes seem to fit, I’ll have him wear them to work for a day to confirm and return if they don’t work for him due to the slipping. Adding a heel pad with may slightly push him forward in the shoe, depending on the design of the heel pad, so concerned about the length.

I suspect the “hatred” on Reddit was mostly because the Lone Peak felt so great on versus the Lone Peak 7 and the 7 is a bit snugger due to the heat shrinking during manufacturing. Am I missing something?

The differences are minor but juuuuuust noticeable. And huzzah for clearance shoes!