In this first half of 2022 Other has put on the market lots of news and updated many of its flagship models, and is set to close the semester with another piece to the puzzle, with the release, starting today, of the new version of the Escalante, the 3, which brings many interesting new features to this model. We tried them out for a few weeks and-immediately a spoiler-they did not disappoint expectations.
The
Escalante 3
receive the heavy inheritance of the immediately preceding model, which had been among the best debuts for the American brand, but there seems to have been, among the overseas designers, no reverential fear in twisting (and improving) some important features.
A WIDE AND STABLE PLANT
The first of the things that stands out in this version is the wide sole, much wider than in the previous model, in line with what Altra has done for recent road and trail models, confirming the intention to give more importance to the possibility of the foot and in particular the toes moving completely naturally inside the shoe, especially at the most delicate moment of the run, that of impact with the ground. That the toes are free to move laterally, spreading out and coming back to the front of the shoe, however, does not mean that the foot slips into it, because the knit upper has incredible elasticity and feels almost like a second sock on the foot, returning an unexpected feeling of protection and stability to the touch, and the soft heel shell follows the movement of the ankle-foot system throughout. Perhaps because of the stretchy knit component, the weight of the shoe is slightly higher than Altra used to do with the Escalante series models, about 260 grams for size 9. However, the weight factor is only relevant on paper, as it is not felt underfoot at all, thanks to the excellent balance and the fact that (yes!) this model is also a drop 0 model, so the difference in height from the ground between the heel and toe of the shoe is technically zero, although the design and what the shoe gives back in terms of feeling underfoot never makes you think about this aspect. Much of the credit goes to what lies between the slab and the ground, and here again we have two nice new features.
MORE CUSHIONING AND MORE GRIP
The midsole of the
Escalante 3
is in the proprietary material
EGO
, already used by Altra in different models and in different configurations, about 26 mm thick, which simultaneously provides a higher level of cushioning than the previous version, but ensures that the shoe remains a viable choice for fast training and-why not-even for mid-distance races where the best compromise between stability and performance is sought. The work done by the midsole is closely related to the component that puts the midsole in contact with the ground, the tread. On this point, Altra has twisted the design of the previous Escalantes and created a pattern that really allows for a lot of grip on the asphalt, without smearing in turns and giving confidence in both uphill traction and downhill sections. Of the many, small improvements Altra has made on this new version, the new tread is definitely the aspect that provides the most security, allowing you not to worry because you know you’ll always have your foot glued to the ground anyway, and it gives that quid more and that tips the balance toward a more than positive overall assessment.
WHO THEY ARE FOR.
The Escalante 3 are extremely versatile shoes: lightweight, soft and responsive. They lend themselves to use by both those who want to do quiet daily workouts in them and those who would like to run a race up to a Half Marathon in them instead, thanks to the balanced coupling given by the EGO midsole and the new tread, which allow them to run without overstressing the ankle-foot system.
They are on sale at a list price of 150 euros in the best running stores and on Altra ‘s website at this
LINK
.