The Outroad II is Altra's all-star ultra alternative to all-altitude alterity in trail running. Or, to put it much more simply, it's Altrastic! The shoe is built to take you across concrete and asphalt, and over the gravel, rocks, and pine-needle-covered trails that meander outward, upward, and eventually – to the secret relief of runners everywhere – also downward. It has lots of high-quality materials and spiffy design details that you won't even notice because you'll be busy enjoying the great comfort they provide as the ground zips by below your joyfully determined gaze into the big sky overhead.
Altra was kind enough to drop off several models for us to lock ourselves in the studio with and tinker with projected environments for a proof of concept. There were moments reminiscent of Blade Runner 2049, flashes of psychedelia worthy of a trip with the Grateful Dead, and many a quotation of Doc Brown's famous line "Roads? Where we're going we don't need 'roads.'" In the end, we settled on a story that pushes the pace from city to scenery. Just enough eye and ear candy to whet the appetite and get the heart racing.
