Altra Experience Form Introduction
Experience Form joins Altra’s stability shoe line up with a focus on a connected underfoot experience.
The brand’s Paradigm establishes a new breed of stability running shoe with zero drop and max cushion; Provision brings stability with medium cushion. Experience Form has a more firm cushion for greater ground feel and adds 4 mm. heel height for increased Achilles support.
Experience Form is the stability version of the brand’s Experience Flow (previously named AltraFWD Experience). Both shoes offer a 4 mm. drop with rocker geometry for a smooth forward roll and Altra’s Standard Footshape™ Fit. For Altra, the Standard foot shape sits midway between their wider Original design and their Slim. Some models are also available in wide.
Fun Fact: If you’ve run in Altra for years but notice that newer models are not as roomy as the line used to be, it is probably because your line has been switched from their Original Footshape™ Fit design to Standard or Slim. You may want to look for Altra shoes that still come in the Original Footshape™ Fit. A friend of mine commented about this, with Torin, and I see that it is listed in Altra’s Standard (mid) width group.
My friend has loved Altras for years. Testing for this review, I borrowed Torin 5, the speed shoe Escalante, and trail shoe Long Peak from her (we have the same size foot!) to get a feel for how Experience Form fits into the brand’s line up.
Experience Form adds a 4 mm. heel for a different level of support. If you are looking to transition to zero drop, I definitely recommend running in Experience Form for six months to a year first to strengthen muscles and work on your form in a midfoot strike.
Compared to the Torin 5, the Form has a more narrow toe box (as does the Torin 7) but also a more stable ride.
HOKA Arahi is the closest shoe to Experience Form; it’s a stability shoe with a similarly firm midsole and 5 mm. drop.
The next closest are New Balance Vongo and HOKA Gaviota with 6 mm., yet both have softer midsoles than Form. Experience Form also competes with Saucony Guide, Brooks Adrenaline GTS, ASICS GT 2000, and Nike InfinityRN 4.
Altra Experience Form First Impressions
The shoe box arrived from UPS into my excited and curious hands; I unboxed Experience Form with great anticipation to run in an Altra for the first time. The Experience Form was sleek and attractive with a pop of color in the laces and accents from the logo and guiderails.
Slipping it on, the shoe was comfortable right away. So far so good!
During the first run I was hoping for more from the “rocker” claim of this shoe. It is pleasant to run in—not like a brick, like some I’ve tried—but could be better.
I could tell that Experience Form was not as wide as the look and fit I had heard about Atra shoes, but it was just wide enough to accommodate my little bunions. I have since learned that the brand offers three Footshape™ Fit styles – Original, Standard, and Slim, getting narrower with each style – and Experience Form sits in their Standard (mid) width offerings.
The shoe was comfortable and didn’t need a break-in period. I liked that the midsole protected my foot while still giving somewhat of a ground feel.
Altra Experience Form Upper
Experience Form’s engineered mesh upper is breathable and supportive with a significant toe cap built in and a moderate heel counter to supplement the support from the GuideRail™. At first I thought the heel counter was pretty minimal, but it feels more firm when pressing from inside the shoe than from the outside.
Padding around the ankle is smooth and strategically placed in upper ankle pads, with an extended heel grip to aid pulling on the shoe.
The Standard fit is not as roomy as the Original (wide) fit Altra is known for, but it offers more room than a tapered option like an ASICS or Mizuno.
This shoe fits small, so order a half to full size up.
The tongue is not gusseted (attached on the sides) but is sufficiently wide and has a loop to run laces through, to avoid movement, and is moderately padded enough to protect the top of the foot from laces.
The sock liner is thicker than average to add a touch of comfort over a more firm midsole. I found the feel underfoot to be just comfortable enough for moderate 3-8 mile runs but, together with the low drop and the loose ligaments in my foot, not the best fit for longer runs for my needs.
Altra Experience Form Sole Unit
Lightweight and responsive compression-molded EVA midsole foam (CMEVA) feels firm underfoot if you’re used to more plush stability offerings such as HOKA Gaviota or Brooks Glycerin GTS, but it provides an efficient ride and more protection than thinner midsoles. Stack height is 30 mm. down to 26 mm. (W) and 32 mm./28 mm. (M) for a 4 mm. drop.
At first I was skeptical about the degree of stability they could be gained from a 4 mm. drop, but I definitely feel the difference between 0 drop in Torin and 4 mm. in Experience Form.
Torin forces me into a midfoot strike in the best way; Form does so as well but with 4 mm. under the heel to take some of the pressure off the calf and quadriceps muscles in foot strike. To me the difference of 4 mm. under the heel is like the difference between doing weighted barbell squats with a belt versus without a belt: it pushes back for support but still allows a natural movement (not a perfect analogy but somewhat similar)!
The shoe’s rocker geometry is subtle, not as pronounced as the smooth transition in a plated shoe but enough to make it enjoyable to run in. The overall ride is on the top side of “ok”—not bad but not great. I want more from the rocker in the toe off.
The outsole consists of durable rubber covering the forefoot, minus vertical grooves to lower weight, along with a piece along the medial side and around the heel, both with grove cut-outs. Grip lines cover the outsole and exposed midsole. I was happy with the grip.
“ALTRA” in its logo form is etched below the diagonal stripes surrounding the midsole foam to add a fun yet subtle aesthetic.
Altra Experience Form Conclusions
The best take-away that I have from Experience Form is that I simply enjoy wearing this shoe! It is comfortable and classy-looking enough for everyday wear and daily runs.
The low 4mm drop works well with the shoe’s rocker geometry to offer a pleasantly smooth, quick roll through footplant. I’d appreciate more propulsion into toe off.
This shoe might offer just the support you need, if you want a lower drop with a touch more support, but I don’t see it meeting the support needs for longer runs for many “stability” runners.
I recommend adding it into your shoe line up for 1-3 runs a week to change up the forces on leg muscles and encourage an efficient foot-plant.
