Montrail Mountain Masochist GTX Trail Running Shoes Review

With just a push of cold weather thus far this Fall, I have had an opportunity to try out a handful of foul-weather trail runners. With all the success the Montrail Mountain Masochist shoes have enjoyed, I was anxious to get onboard the Gore-Tex versions in some mucky terrain.

About the Montrail Mountain Masochist GTX Trail Running Shoes

A highly-supportive and protected trail runner, the Mountain Masochist GTX also shields your feet from rain and snow with its waterproof Gore-Tex liner. This is the foul-weather version of the award-winning Mountain Masochist.

Mountain Masochist GTX Features:

• Gryptonite™ outsole for great traction and exceptional durability
• Full foot Trail Shield™ for under foot protection from rocks and other trail debris
• Triple density Vapor Response™ EVA midsole provides a responsive ride with Trail Shield protection and mid-foot support
• Highly breathable hydrophobic mesh enhances the performance of the Gore-Tex® bootie construction
• Gusseted tongue construction keeps out dirt and moisture
• Color: Navy/Grey
• MSRP: $115

Montrail Mountain Masochist GTX Review

No other shoe I’ve tested has been built with as many bells and whistles as the Mountain Masochist GTX. Going down the list of proprietary construction, there’s little wonder why Montrail trail runners are so regarded in the market today. This shoe is built for all-weather training with enough all-around performance to excel in all terrain in cool weather conditions.

Giving them a visual rundown, they kind of appear a bit out of Mad Max with multiple materials stitched together for a half-mesh/half-suede combo and plenty of supportive bands to provide just the right all-terrain support.

Over the past few months, I’ve been able to test these shoes in a variety of conditions from hot and try to wet, snowy and muddy. Like all Gore-Tex runners, I don’t recommend them in weather over 60-degrees. The combination of the large volume (hence a thicker sock), burly materials and the Gore-Tex liner do limit breathability, but are a welcomed combo when the temperatures dip into the 40’s and below.

The uppers provide an excellent fit with the ability to fit a large-volume foot very well. With my narrow and flat feet, I found the toebox unable to cinch down as much as I’d like, but the extra wiggle-room ended up being pretty comfortable and stable with tons of protection from rocks, roots and debris. In fact, should you have sensitive toes or suffer from poor circulation, I’d highly recommend these shoes for their armor-like and market-leading toebox protection.

Continuing along the protection vein, the Full Foot Trail Shield plate provides superb forefoot protection from sharp rocks and trail stubble. Outsole traction is solid in a variety of conditions, but did tend to attract mud in some of the smaller crevices.

One more thing about the outsole… the island-like heel-strike area is built to isolate those forces and provide specialized cushioning. That’s great and all and works well at stride, but you can really feel the transition from heel-strike area to the midfoot when walking around. At speed, it disappears, but at walking pace, it’s kind of odd.

I’m really impressed with the overall stability and have found them to be extremely supportive and stable in technical and variable terrain. At the other end of the terrain spectrum, short distances on the road are acceptable with this shoe.

Good Mountain Masochist GTX

• Excellent cushioning
• Smooth stride on the trail
• Great trail grip on soft, tacky trails
• Great for cold weather running–keep feet warm and dry
• Shed mud pretty well
• Excellent trail protection and feel
• Superior toebox protection on uppers (great for sensitive toesies)
• Withstood 30-second creek submersion test
• Excellent price for a GTX runner

Bad Mountain Masochist GTX

• Stride is a little odd for walking around
• Exposed sockliner on inner cuff wears easily
• Larger volume requires thicker socks
• They turn into foot saunas north of 60-degrees
• Awkward patchwork styling
• You can feel the tongue gussets with thinner socks
• A little heavy on paper

Bottom Line: Montrail Mountain Masochist GTX

An excellent foul-weather trail running shoe for medium to large-volume feet, the Mountain Masochist GTX will provide superior trail and weather protection in a comfortable and highly-supportive package.

Buy Now: Montrail at REI.com