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August 23, 2018 Comments (1) Featured, Gear Reviews, Uncategorized

Dynafit Alpine Pro – Updated


Editors update 8/23/2018

After over a year of serious use and abuse, the Dynafit Alpine Pro has become THE go-to shoe for several of our testers when scrambling in snowy or rocky terrain is on the menu. The outsole grip is absolutely unbeatable and the shoes are durable as hell. While they aren’t our everyday runners, if you’re looking for a shoe that will keep you upright and stuck to the rock or snow, we can’t recommend these enough.

Dynafit Alpine Pro


$155.00

TAUR RATED – 3.61

The Dynafit Alpine Pro was designed to be a lightweight shoe that performs in rugged technical terrain. The shoe is constructed of a Vibram® Megagrip outsole compound and carbon shield for protection. Designed for the mountains, the Alpine Pro has an EVA midsole, 8mm of drop and some stability features to support a runner on a rocky descent. 

“A shoe that means business in the mountains. Aggressive, protective and agile.”

Right out of the box the shoes are a little stiff and seemed to be high in the heel. The shoe has several features provided for comfort and support in the mountains. The Alpine Rolling midsole has a double compression molded EVA that is designed to help increase running dynamics. The shoe performed very well in technical mountain terrain, offering comfort and responsiveness, but the testers felt like the cushion was lacking at times. The invisible, quick lacing system seemed to work very well if you are a fan of a quick lacing system. There is a pouch where the laces can be stuffed to keep them from snagging or getting caught up in trail foliage or debris and it seemed to be very helpful.

The Megagrip Vibram sole provides excellent grip in technical terrain. The shoe was tested in the mountains in wet, dry and icy conditions and our testers never had a problem with traction. The only negative was the outsole seemed to be wearing fast. The lugs started showing wear after about 40 mountain miles. There is also an integrated carbon plate between the midsole and the outsole for rock protection. Our testers found the shoes protection from rocks underfoot to be quite adequate.

“I took these shoes on several good runnable trails as well as a mountain that required traversing over rock and hard, slick snow. They were cushioned but had a surprising amount of ground feel on the rocky sections. They didn’t slip at all on the rock or hard snow.”

One of the most unique features that the shoe offers is diagonal reinforcements at the heel to improve the fit and support for the rear of the foot. This feature is designed to feel like a low profile, while the heel area benefits from pre-loading support for stability. Our testers found that the shoe felt a bit raised in the heel, but it did offer decent support and stability on the trails. It definitely does not have a minimal feel.

“This is a bulky shoe that is built for tough mountain terrain. The shoe has a high lift in the heel and feels a little bit more like a hiking shoe rather than a trail running shoe. The shoe is very well constructed and I did not see any signs of wear on the upper after 50 tough mountain miles.”

The upper seemed to be a bit stiff and didn’t breath particularly well, but the tradeoff is in tough mountain terrain my feet were always protected from rocks and debris. The materials are not waterproof and after about an hour of running in snow, my socks were wet. The insulation for this shoe is average and it would not be recommended for running in the snow.

Overall, this shoe is well built and provides great protection in rocky mountain terrain, but our testers did not feel like it was a great fit for longer ultra distances. The shoe felt very stable and good while hiking, but it was a bit stiff and didn’t provide enough cushion for longer miles.

Features

-Heel preloader

-Invisible lacing/Quick lacing system

-Alpine rolling midsole

-Ballistic bumper

-Megagrip compound

Specifications

Price – $155.00

Drop – 8mm

Weight – 300g

Ratings
Upper 3.5
Midsole 3.75
Outsole 3.5
Durability 4
Fit 3.5
Performance 3.5
Appearance 3.5

Overall

3.61

 

One Response to Dynafit Alpine Pro – Updated

  1. Jeffrey Johanson says:

    Would like to see a review of their Ultra Pro model to see what you think. Little more cushioning, less overlays, more accommodating toe box but still with nice Megagrip sole in different pattern.

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