Review: The North Face Offtrail Ultra Shoe
Price
£145
Gender
All runners
Brand // Manufacturer
The North Face
What we liked
Excellent snug fit, even for narrow feet.
Secure heel and midfoot, with room for toes.
Chunky 5 mm lugs for rugged mountain terrain.
Lightweight at 264 g per shoe.
Stable and nimble on technical ground.
Clever integrated gaiter keeps scree and grit out.
Drains quickly after stream crossings.
Secure lacing that stays put.
What we didn’t
Conventional laces aren't quite as quick to adjust as Salomon's Quicklace system.
Long-distance comfort and durability still to be tested.
The Verdict
THE SHORT READ…
An excellent technical mountain running shoe. Lightweight, stable, with reassuring grip and a surprisingly precise fit.
The conventional laces aren't quite as convenient as Salomon's Quicklace system, and longer-distance comfort and durability remain to be tested. But first impressions are seriously good.
A genuine contender for my next mountain ultra.
THE LONG READ …
The North Face Offtrail Ultra — First Impressions
Gale-force winds, sideways rain and a few hours in the Welsh mountains. A proper introduction.
When The North Face offered me a pair of their new Offtrail Ultra shoes to test, I was happy to give them a go. Though I did explain that I've been running mountain ultras in Salomon S/LAB shoes for over a decade. I'm a bit of a Salomon guy, particularly when it comes to racing.
And there's another thing. I have narrow feet, and previous North Face shoes I've tried have always felt a little too baggy.
So I wasn't necessarily expecting to be converted.
But the new Offtrail Ultra came as a pleasant surprise.
Last week I took them into the mountains of North Wales for a proper workout. Gale-force winds gusting towards 100 km/h, sideways rain, mud, wet rock, streams and the horribly unstable scree of the Glyderau.
Pretty miserable weather. Perfect for testing mountain running shoes.
First things first. The fit.
For me, this is where the Offtrail Ultra really shines.
The heel locks down beautifully, with no lift. The midfoot feels snug and well supported, while the toe box has just enough room to breathe without your feet sliding forward on steep descents.
It's a nicely balanced fit, particularly for a narrow-footed runner like me.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how familiar the shoe felt underfoot. My Salomon S/LAB Genesis has a heel stack of around 30 mm and an 8 mm drop. The Offtrail Ultra sits at 29 mm with a 6 mm drop. Close enough that moving between them felt entirely natural.
Grip, rocks and horrible weather
There's some clever technology beneath the Offtrail's relatively understated exterior. The DREAMBOUND midsole uses dual-density, nitrogen-infused foam designed to give a little bounce while maintaining stability. Underneath, the lightweight SURFACE CTRL outsole has chunky 5 mm lugs and a dedicated scrambling zone at the toe.
All very clever. But does it work?
Well, yes. The shoes felt nicely cushioned without being vague or wobbly. Grip was excellent across mud, wet ground, loose rock and scree. And despite not being especially wide, they felt reassuringly stable underfoot.
At around 264 g per shoe, they're impressively light too. Quick and nimble when picking your way through technical terrain, where neat, precise footwork really matters.
The shoes also drained quickly after running through streams. There's nothing worse than carrying half a Welsh river around in your footwear.
One particularly clever detail is the integrated SCREEGUARD ankle gaiter. It kept the grit and small stones out while I scrambled up and ran down the horribly unstable scree of the Glyderau. A simple feature, beautifully executed. Actually worked better than my Genesis S/Lab ankle gaiter as the Offtrail’s is extended more.
I've grown used to Salomon's Quicklace system, which lets me adjust the fit depending on the terrain. On steep technical descents, I like my shoes properly cranked down.
The Offtrail uses conventional laces, but with a textured grip that held everything securely in place. Once tied, I didn't think about them again.
Which is exactly what you want.
A little colour in the gloom
Mine are in a rather funky colourway called Papaya–Canal Blue. Not for everyone, perhaps.But I'm fully on board with the Scandinavian approach to colour — a little serotonin dressing to warm the cockles on a grey, shite day.
And let's face it, if you spend much of your time running around bleak, windswept mountains, a bit of colour doesn't hurt.
If bright isn't your thing, there's also TNF Black–TNF White or TNF Black–Summit Gold for something a little more understated.
Each to their own.
The verdict
The North Face positions the Offtrail Ultra as a lightweight shoe for technical mountain running and training. Having spent a few hours putting them through their paces, I wouldn't hesitate to consider them for racing too.
Whether they'll remain as comfortable over 50 or 100 km, and how well they'll hold up after months of punishment, remains to be seen. That's for the next test.
But my first impressions are genuinely excellent.
Precise fit, reassuring grip, low weight, stable footing and some thoughtful little design details.
For someone who's been loyal to Salomon for years, that's saying something.
The Offtrail Ultra deserves serious consideration from runners who like their terrain steep, rocky, muddy and preferably a little unpleasant.
And you certainly don't need to be an ultra runner to appreciate them.
SUMMARY…
It's great to see another excellent mountain running shoe on the market. Most other brands I've tried over the years haven't quite cut it for me, so finding one that genuinely impresses is pretty rare.
I've got a good feeling about the Offtrail Ultra and look forward to putting in plenty more mountain miles over the coming season.
