Altra Men's King MT 2 Shoe

Altras alleviate my knee arthritis. I am a 68 year old who's been an avid hiker and skier for the last 30 years. I have arthritis in both my knees. I usually wear typical hiking shoes, with the aggressive heal traction design, and sharp heel strike. And, I have also worn Altra trail shoes off and on since the early Altra Lone Peak shoes. Years ago, I noticed that my knees felt better after long hikes, when i was wearing Altras. So, lately i decided to exclusively wear Altras. My arthritis knee pain is gone. Note, i have been cycling too, which also helps. I have two pairs of King Mountains and a pair of Lone Peak mids. I really like hiking in these King Mountain for my hikes. And, the Lone Peak mid is a great shoe too, very comfortable upper, light, low impact stride, good protection for going off trail

Oh boy, these shoes feel like the reason I fell in love with Altra. There is room up front and they haven't succumbed to the tight mid foot with ill fitting insoles Altra has adopted for Lone Peaks and Timps. I took a break from running (thanks to skis and motorcycles, or how I'm not good at them) and started up with Altra again, after a year and a half off. The Timps were narrow and the Lone Peaks were right in line with them. I got both shoes to work, barely, cutting up insoles and using weird lacing techniques. They were not at all in line with Altra's original concept. I trained and raced hundreds in Lone Peaks and raced shorter distances in Superiors. No complaints. I started complaining and was told to try the King MT. I was skeptical because the lugs were so paced that I thought they were just for muddy terrain. I was wrong. The footbed reminds me of older Altas. There is room and they don't soak up you arch, causing blisters. I perceived the strap on top to be a gimmick, and was surprised with how useful it was. You can lace the shoes comfortably and adjust the strap to bomb downhills The heel cup has this crazy grip material that holds your heel in place. It reminds me of old school lint brushes, and it works. The weight seems fine to me. When I crossed a stream, they drained better than any shoe I've ever had. Don't think this is an "Altra or Die" review. This is for those who loved them in the past and are giving them another chance. Almost forgot. If you run Lone Peaks, size up a half a size. If you are looking at your normal shoe size, size up one full size I wear a 10 in everything else, needed an 11 with the King MT.