Great review! Extremely helpful to me. My first Altras were the Escalante 1.5 and I fell in love. Bought my wife the 2’s (her first pair of Altras) and she loved them so I bought them for myself. I hated them. Getting ready to order a pair of 2.5’s but was skeptical until I watched this. Thank you!

The way you review the shoes is perfect for me, I will be recommending you to as many as my friends as I can. Thank you.

Thanks for the review. Answered all my questions. I’m ordering from you now. I appreciate the promo code 😊💪

I’ve run in two pairs of the 1, and just recently found a new pair of 1.5’s from a local running shop... I retried the 2, and I could not! It was so stiff, it felt like a hoop shoe! Thanks for the review, I loved the comparison! Now when my 1.5 burns out, I feel that I can try the 2.5. Great review!

Great in-depth review! As someone who found the 1.0 to soft, I loved the feel of the 1.5. I managed to buy the 2.0 for $39 and the first run actually felt quite nice. Yes there wasn't a lot of flexibility but the energy return from the ego midsole was great for such a firm shoe. Can't wait to try this.

Thank you for the detailed and comprehensive review! We absolutely appreciate it!!

love my 1 (400 miles) and 1.5 (150 miles), so it's great to hear the 2.5 is an improvement on the 2.0 which didn't get a lot of love! Great review as ever 🙂

Great review. The 2 was not even close to the previous Escalantes. I just got my 2.5s and am happy with the result. As a note - I had to return the 2 after wearing them for 20 minutes.

I have been waiting ages for this shoe! Great review, I just ordered two different colors.

I've loved finding your channel and the Altra reviews. It has helped me greatly to make my first Altra choice, which is going to be the Escalante 2.5. Big thumbs up for the Ricky Bobby reference 😆👌

Excellent review and such an accurate history of the 1.0 to the 2.0 (at least for me!). I went through a dozen 1.0 & 1.5's and couldn't buy a second pair of the 2.0s. BUT! the 2.5 are so good.. nice soft sole (like the 1.5) and even a more sock-like comfy upper and heal compared to the 1.5. I'll be going through several 2.5's, and I hope they never take the Escalante down the route of the 2.0 again.

Thank you for this review. I love the Escalante, and am excited about trying the 2.5, as I skipped the 2.0. I would not agree that this is a good shoe for lateral work. I had a traumatic tear of my ACL and meniscus, when my foot slid sideways in the ultra-flexible upper during a speed drill, and continued into a high-speed ankle roll. I would recommend being careful with them, and enjoying them on predictable level surfaces.

This was an amazing review. Thanks for getting so in-depth

Glad to hear! I’ve got two of the 1.0’s two of the 1.5’s and one of the 2.0. I’ve been a little disappointed in the 2.0. They have given me blisters on both feet, something I’ve never had before. I’ve been looking for another pair of 1.5 or thinking of trying Topo magnifly.

I didn’t know how big of a fan I was of knit uppers and a toe shaped toe box until I bought a new pair of shoes after running Escalante 1.5s. Knit doesn’t dry out as fast but I love the feel. It’s the best balance of support and flexibility. I’m running Hokas and I’m about to go back to Escalantes. Hokas just feel clumsy after running 500 miles in my Escalante 1.5s.

Finally, I loved my “slippers” -both The One v2 and the Escalante v1, and missed them both. I have the Toruń v4 which is nice but not the same. As I segment once again my running shoes into longer runs and shorter tempo, I am missing my Escalantes. This sounds right up my street.

Nailed this review, Steve. Wholeheartedly agree with every key point, except for release date! I’m in Australia and bought a pair 3 weeks ago, which was surprising as we usually get models much later in Australia. I absolutely love the 2.5, having owned both the 1.5 and 2.0. For me, I loved the upper of the 1.5, and the heel cup of the 2.0. The 2.5 is the lovechild of both, and man do I love this child. I’ll be buying up more colours to put away in case they mess up the next model like the unloved 2.0.

LOVED the 1 and 1.5s, ran the Comrades in them, my feel were so happy over the whole distance. 2.0 I felt was too thin, not as plush, rough and my foot feels insecure. Hope the 2.5s come back with a slipper like feel from before.

I had no idea people didn't like the 2s i absolutely loved them way more than my 1.5s i might have to stock up

I loved the v1 but would never race in them, the 2 on the other hand was much more snappy and supportive and I set a big marathon PR in them and even love em on the track. Really looking forward to the 2.5 though at the moment, missing that sock like cushy flexiness and I’m sure I’ll be able to use the e racer for faster stuff. Great review and comparisons.

Exciting! I own a pair of Escalante 1.5 and Escalante 2, and while the 2 is not as good indeed, I still enjoy it a lot: these are the shoes that helped me transition to zero drop, midfoot, shorter stride and, more importantly, put a smile back on my face when running

Great review, thanks! I think I’ll give it a try. 💪🏼

Brilliant review! I feel the need for Ricky Bobby Charged Rubber!

I liked the 1's a lot, the 1.5's have been my absolute favorite so far, the 2's are stiff and I don't like the uppers at all, but the soles seems to be pretty durable. I'm looking forward to trying the 2.5!

Great, thorough review

Great video. I placed an order as well. Great work!

Great review and comparison!

Perfect review thank you so much

Best shoe review ever!

That color way is soooo nice

I can't wait for the escalante Olympus to come out so I have super cushion on the bottom and super freedom on the top!! (ALTRA, READ THIS)

Escalante 1.5 my favorite, ditch the Hoka got my marathathon PB. 2.0 was a pain.

Best shoe reviewer!

Best shoe ever I have two on the go and seven in the cupboard

Great way to describe them

Just received them. It is still to narrow for me it seems. Side of my foot just below smallest toe is pushing a bit out of the sole. My Xero Shoes don’t. Not sure if I want to return them. They feel great though

Great review!!!! I would say one thing I’d recommend is to look at the camera, instead of the monitor 😊

I've heard/read the .5 releases from Altra were for upper modifications only. However, you indicated the toe box was wider again, the shoe was softer and flexed more, so I'm curious if there is any meaning behind a .5 release any more or if like you said, it's a totally new shoe and should have been the 3.0?

How does this compare to a Kayenta? I love the Torin 4 for everyday runs, then use a Katenta for fast runs. Where does this fit in?

Usin 1,5 right now and was thinking to try torin but now I feel that 2,5 is better suited for me. Hmm

Hi! How does Escalante 2.5 work with those that pronate? im interested in the brooks adrenaline and also asicsgt2000 - (my fave shoe is nike lunarglide 6 but they're long gone) what shoe is good for slight pronation and has a low heal to toe drop? Thank you maybe Altra Rivera? Thanks

This review would have been better if Mr. Moore had shown the 2 side-by-side with the 2.5. My shoe of choice is the vanish xc, which is both relatively minimal and the last has a natural (paddle-like) foot shape. A big problem with past Escalantes that I never hear about is that the last was severely curve-shaped. No one's foot is actually curved, so the fit is beyond awkward. All to say, I'd like to know if the 2.5 is more straight-lasted?

Escalante is the only running shoe I wear casually on a regular basis.

It looks like the stack height is taller on the 2.5 versus the 1.5 (that's awesome!) Is it true?

I want the nerf feel of my 1.5s back. It was like walking on pillows. I hope 2.5 is closer to that. 2.0 were atrocious.

Hi, I really really need your help. I am not your usual customer. 3 years ago I got a lot of foot pain. After so many reports and tests it was undiagnosed. It was mainly blamed on my weight. I work in retail and I stand all day. My foot pain got much better and almost went away when I switched to altra insinct 4.5. Just like all shoes that work for me it’s discontinued. I tried escalate and torin. Torin was too tight for me. So wore escalate but it really messed up my foot. I had achiles tendon pain on one foot and top foot pain on other. I really want to find something similar to instinct 4.5 , it was roomier wider , and similar cushion. I have not been able to find the right one. I actually couldn’t even walk from one room to another at one point just because I changed the shoe .. now I am recovered and I I really need a new show. My instinct is 2 years old and it’s one out. I believe it was 23 mm stack height and not sure what kind of cushion and probably More wider. Could you recommend a shoe .. would really appreciate it. Oh yeah am a big guy. I weight 275 pounds.. 5 foot 11. Mostly its just for standing all day

Great review! How does it compare to the new racer? Been running in them for shorter runs but thinking I could use the 2.5 for more middle distance runs and save the racers for tempo runs/road races.

Excited for this one! Is it possible they changed the Escalante 2 in the later models? I bought it when it first came out and was among the unhappy people that found it too stiff and too firm. But I took a chance on it again when it dropped to half price and I ended up liking it a lot more.....it just feels better than the pair I got last year. I even picked up a 2nd color for half price that are tucked away in the closet for now. Glad to hear the 2.5 has some nice updates!

I think, the original Escalante was the best ... Escalante 1.0. The sole on that shoe is what I would call plush with energy return. The Escalante 1.5, ,2. and 2.5 don't have that soft sole the the original did. The original Escalante felt like it had more cushion under the forefoot and the heel was softer. I wish they would make an Escalante Plush version of shoe. I still have 3-4 pair of the first version that I still run in that I have lots of miles on and they still feel better than the new Escalante shoes that I bought. I hope the Escalante Plush happens, because I haven't been able to run in the Escalante shoes since the first version.

Coming from a pair of Torin 4.5 plushes I picked up a pair of escalantes 2.5 and torin 5s I’m hoping to minimize wear being able to alternate, we’ll see how they go. I’m excited. Edit: I was originally recommended escalantes from my boss to run my first ultramarathon in. They had run 100k to 100mile races in escalantes, I did a 100k in my torin 4.5 plush, very comfortable and they are still my everyday shoe now

Super helpful review! Thank you. Any feedback about size/fit comparing the 1.5 to the 2.5? Order the same size or size up/down?

Would you recommend this shoe for speed walking?

See this was made a while back but I recently became curious about Altra and the zero drop feature contrasted to all the shoes I usually run in. Soooo, I went down to my local running shoe store and picked up a pair of the Escalante 2.5. I was advised by devotees I know that it is a good place to start. Excited to experiment with this shoe soon and have been advised to be careful when you are used to high mm drop. Most of mine are 6mm to 8mm. BTW, I salivate when I hear narrow! I have a narrow AA foot with high arches.

where can i find that red one though?

Do you guys ship to Europe?

Thank you for your review! Do you recommend these for everyday activities or just for sports?

Your reviews are one of the best on youtube. What size would you recommend when my feet are 26.2 cm?

Tim ward of Pittsburgh wears these. They are free anywhere in the world

I'm definitely moving over to a wider shoe because I've been moving over into ultra marathons lately. I know that Altra makes the type of shoe I'm looking to get, but I was wondering if the toe box wideness also translates over to the middle and rear of the shoe. In other words, do the shoes maintain a wider angle throughout the length of the shoe? I could go with a wider e or 2e shoe in the Altra Lone Peak I figure, but from your experience are Altra shoes generally wider?

Thanks for the review. The Escalante Racers are fun but they make my foot turn to the side on cornering so i'm looking for alternatives and it's good to hear that these may handle that better. Aside from the racers, I've only tried the original Escalantes within this model, so i'm wondering if the midsole is any different? The originals felt too squishy for my taste.

Hmmmm...... interesting. My first pair of Altra's was a Torin. I loved the Zero drop but didn't like the stack height. It was too thick and too much like running in sand for me. So I moved to the Altra One V3. I loved that shoe! Right about the time I needed to replace my first set of Ones, the Escalante 1.0 came out. I tried it and hated it. It felt like I was trying to run in Flip Flops. So I got another pair of One V3s. I loved the second pair. I got about 1500 km out of both. When it came time to replace those, they were no longer available. I tried the Escalante 1.5, but I had the same issue as the 1.0s. I don't like running in flip flops. So I tried a pair of Vanish Rs. They were good but not meant for regular training and wore out quickly. So I left Altra because I felt at the time that they didn't have an adequate replacement for the One V3s. The Escalante line up just wasn't doing it for me. I moved to On. They were good but not great, and I missed the Zero drop. When those were done, the Escalante 2.0 was out so I decided to try it. To my surprise it was much different than my previous experiences with the Escalante line up. Much more responsive, a bit firmer, and my foot, while have room didn't feel like it was flopping oall over the place. I love the Escalante 2.0. If the 2.5 is taking us back to the flip flop feel, I may have to grab some 2.0s before they disappear. Hopefully it is just a slight sing back of the pendelum and not a full swing to the unresponsive, sloppy feel of the original Escalantes. Just my thoughts. Not everyone hated the 2.0.

What about the fit/heel slippage? Do you need to go down half a size, or is sizing accurate?

I'm not finding that orange/black color on the Altra website. Where do I find it?

Hi Steve, could you guide me with the sizing (women's)? I'm wearing a size 9.5 in Vivo Barefoot and other brands: do you suggest I buy the same size for the Escalate Racer or should I go for a 10?

Thanks a lot. Are they a good choice for a 3:30 hours marathon? Thanks!

Are those ok for training for a marathon and marathon day? I have altra torin 4.5 and it feel extremely cushioned

Would this be a good shoe to transition to from the Merrell Bare Access Arc?

As someone who used to run and currently doesn’t ,what would you guys think about this shoe as an every day shoe? What I mean by that is one that you were just normally wear around in your day-to-day life not necessarily as a running shoe.

Hi thx for the video but I see some guys have run km4000 on these on trails so how would you compare the Escalanta vs Superior 5 as a all terrain beginner runner as I’ve been of for 2 years. Thx

Where did you get the red version of the shoe? In classic Altra style, their shoe colors lack style. The 2.5 comes in an array of geriatric colors (thinks SAS for old people) -- but nothing flashy/cool like the Escalante Racers.

Is the sizing different from the torin 4 standard? I tried a pair of escalate 2.5s a couple of weeks ago and they felt way longer than my torins (only other Altra shoes I have tried) in the same size. The extra length coupled with the stretchy upper made my foot slide around a lot on down hills. They were very comfortable walking around in, but ultimately sent them back to running warehouse. Unfortunately no shops stock Altra shoes near where I live and can't try them on.

I've been excited for this shoe. But, man, those lack of color choices for the men's shoe is disappointing. It's like altra was trying to nail the definition of "drab".

I understand the 2.0 was more narrow... I like the stretch of the 1.5 on my toes and the 1.0 .... The toes really puff out so I need as much as possible even more than all the other shoes have plastic around the end which can cramp my pinky toe. Is the torren that was net, or the torn 4.5 stretchy like the escalante 1.5's on the top? (Without the hard part around the toe).

How is the sizing on the 2.5 vs the 1.0/1.5/2.0? I am an 11.5/12 in the 1.0/1.5. I went with a size 12 in the 2.0 and am wondering if I could sized down in the 2.0. I am a size 12 in the torin 4.

Do you have 2.0's left over at a discount?

Would this be a good shoe for road running if I love the shape and feel of the Lone Peak?

How much softer than the 2 is the 2.5? I love the Escalante 2 and the Escalante Racer, hated the new Torin Plush (too soft, like running on sand. My Achilles hated the Torin Plush 4.5). I’m actually getting horrible flashbacks to Hoka’s big change from Clifton 5 and Clifton 6. Loved the 5, hated the 6 with a passion.

The 2.0 the laces loosen, even with double knot, so i have to stop and tie them again. So i hope laces are better. 2.0 is my first Altra shoe and I like the stiff sole for better energy return, so you're not losing any in the sponge. Wonder if I will be disappointed in the 2.5?

What’s the fit like , I’m typically an mens 8 in an ASIC GEL-KAYANO .

Input for arch support?

If I wanted to buy a day to day walking shoe, which would be better: Escalante 2.5 or Torin 4.5 Plush?

I much prefer the 2 over the 1.5. The sole is more direct, faster and not as squishy. And the fit is better too.

Whats sizing like on these? Does it fit true to size?

Am I seeing this right: No extra eyelet?! I thought that, with the heel as sloppy as it has been in the Escalante and other Altras, they would've learned something from the feedback they're getting. Really hope I'm mistaken.

Do they come in 2E wide ?

I am shocked at how much better the ladies’ colors are than the men’s. I want that coral color in guy sizes, not this forest green BS

I’m sad that it’s only a woman’s color... I wanted that one lol

that color though.......so bad