Comments on: Did Columbia ruin the Montrail Hardrock?

By: scottie

scottie — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:06:28 +0000

Ok, so I just picked up a pair of 07′ hardrocks on ebay today(April 15/2010), and wanted to let you all know that there are still a few sizes left. Notice that the 07′s are 104.00 dollars and the 08′s are 49 dollars. I cant wait to get these shoes out on my local wet Canadian mountains and trails. An avid runner and hiker that loves a great product. Scottie, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

By: charlie

charlie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:05:32 +0000

I’ve heard that as well about the last. However, there were other serious problems with the construction and durability. The tread of my “Columbia” pair starting falling off after less than 200 miles. I couldn’t even use them for yard work and threw them in the trash. And did the Asia factory also withhold the heel counter? Even if they did, that should’ve been easier to duplicate.

I have a friend that swears by the XA Pro’s, but I personally never liked the lacing system that much, because it was impossible vary the tension of the lacing. I like to keep the laces tighter up top to lock the heel in place, but keep them looser near the forefoot. You just can’t do that with the Salomon lacing system. Others may not find it to be an issue though.

By: Entreprunner

Entreprunner — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:37:57 +0000

Charlie,
From what I know the reason of this change is that for some reason the Montrail ex-factory in Asia refused to hand over the Hardrock last to Columbia, which had to create a new one and obviously not as good…

Even though you have now adopted a minimalist approach of trail running, to me the best option for replacing the Hardrock is the XA Pro (Salomon) since they’re also bulletproof and the outsole is stiff enough to protect against tehcnical and rocky terrain.

Hope that helps to clarify this change.
MG

By: Roger

Roger — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Very interesting thread. I just came upon it and it has shed some light for me. I bought a pair of 08 Hardrocks from a retailer for $50 because it seemed like a good deal, and my wife had been using hardrocks for awhile and has had great luck with them. I now know why they were blowing them out at such a low price. I started using them this past Spring training on the Barr Trail for the Pikes Peak races and got a nasty blister on my right heel the first time I wore them. It was a bit alarming, but I figured it was just the first time out. Nope. I wore them a second time, and same thing happened again. Needless to say that was the last time I ran in them. I purchased a pair of Merrell ST Stature trail running shoes and they’ve been great.

By: Ari

Ari — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:22:59 +0000

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting post, comments and follow-up post. My two cents is that the new Hardrocks are a comfortable shoe (for me, anyway) for running on flat surfaces (good turf trails, sidewalks) but not, as it were, for running on hard rocks. I've done some long hikes/trail runs in the new Montrails, as well as a bit of running and, so far, have had no blister type of problems. The issues I've had are after the long trail sessions, in which the soles of my feet feel like, as you put it, the "black-masked, medieval, dungeon dude" was testing out his sledgehammer on your feet. It's possible that this is due to the rather sparseness with which I really get out on the trail. So far I've only put in about half a dozen 20+ mile days this year, and twice they've been back-to-back (a.k.a. 50-55 miles in 36ish hours). When I hiked the AT I didn't have this pain but also hiked day in and day out. Of course, in 2007 and 2008, on old Montrails, I hiked more intermittently, and didn't have any foot pain issues. The other thing I've noticed is that these shoes seem much less durable than the old Montrails. My first pair of Montrails lasted 600 miles only because a) I'd had an ankle brace in them which mucked up the padding and b) I was in Blacksburg at a store which had new ones and the old ones were soaking wet and stinky. The second pair lasted from there to Dalton, Mass., through the rocks of Pennsylvania, which took off much of the base. The third pair lasted the rest of New England, plus a good deal of time in the White Mountains in 2007 and quite a bit of trail running/hiking in 2008. I retired them this spring because they seemed to be getting a bit worn, but might look at putting them back in to the rotation. If Montrail re-made the 2006 shoes, I'd buy them in a second. I definitely understand your new feelings regarding thinner shoes, but I think that when you are running or hiking on rough terrain, thicker soles are a bit more useful in order to "smooth out" the ride, and I've found that the old Montrails do a fantastic job, with their thick soles, of mitigating the effects of rocks and roots. The new ones, on the other hand, don't seem to do so well. Or at least that's what my feet are saying after 60 miles this past weekend on the Superior Trail.

By: Robert Nicholson

Robert Nicholson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:43:06 +0000

I recently purchased some 09 Hardrocks after having had Vitesse and 06 Hardrocks and 2 days after I bought them I developed a painful blister on my right pinkie

I’m in Hawaii right now a bought a pair of ascis gel 1140′s just to I could get around

there’s a world of difference between the two shoes but it seems thus pair of hardrocks is defectve as I never have problems with shoes especially not one foot vs the other

Montrail have said they’ll warranty the shoe and also mentions that the previous prior to the merger montrail would not give up the moulds and so that’s why the shoe has changed over time

I’d like to know what became of the previous moulds but it looks like the company has changed for the worse as a result of the merger

By: Phil Lowry

Phil Lowry — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:22:57 +0000

I have run 23 100-milers, the last 14 in Montrails. Recently I bought several of the new models. Report:
1. The new Hardrock 09 is sh*t. No rock protection, a Fireblade without a good fit.
2. The Mountain Masochist is a horrible shoe. I ran 24 miles in it on very technical terrain at Snowbird and thought I was going to die. I felt every rock, and my sesamoids screamed at me during the 8000 feet of climbing.
3. The Wildwoods seem to be doing OK, although I need to lace them up a little tight for my narrow feet.
I still have 7 pairs of old Continental Divides and 10 pair of old Hardrocks (I saw this coming). No, they’re not for sale. I’m hoarding them for races. Meantime, for training I have been using La Sportiva Wildcats–great traction and cushion (I can’t do the Fireblades or Crosslights–just not enough rock protection, and cushioned insoles cause me blisters). Tomorrow I go to REI to try on their potpourri of Salomons. I have defected to the Italians and French!
As for Montrail, it and Columbia can go to hell. Oh, sorry. They already have.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:45:11 +0000

I was running in the Vitesse a couple years ago and found out they were going to dIiscontinue them. I bought all the Vitesse in my size from all the local running stores. After going through the 4 pairs I bought I found some on the internet, bought two more pairs, when they arrived they where in a different montrail box and the color was a little darker. The toe box seems smaller and the overall fit isn’t right. Had to double check the size to make sure they sent the right ones. Can’t even run in the new ones because they don’t fit right. Wasted $160. I found a couple pairs of hardrocks on sale ($49,99) but I’m not sure what year they are I love the shoes and wanted to buy more but I’m hesitant after coming across this post. Have friends that said the 08′ and 09′ suck. I never knew columbia took over montrail. Read a couple other bad reviews about the 08 and 09′s. I know alot of people running 100′s in the fireblades, but for me they don’t have the underfoot protection and aren’t stable enough (rolled ankes). Brooks cascadia 3 provide alot of underfoot protection and I’ve heard alot of good things about the cascadia 4.

By: Larrt

Larrt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:21:55 +0000

I agree 100% with the demise of the old Hardrock. I’m just about through with my 4th pair. I can’t find anything that comes close to the quality and comfort of these shoes. What shoes have been working for other people?

By: Philip Turk

Philip Turk — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:25:08 +0000

Several years ago I had fallen in love with the Montrail Hardrocks and even used them for backpacking trips. I ran the Zane Grey 50 last year in a pair of Hardrocks I had purchased a couple of months prior to the race. On my left foot, I developed a blister on the heel that was so deep that I nearly had to drop out . Thinking that my experience was a fluke, I bought another pair and ran the Highland Sky 40 last week in them. Again, I developed another awful blister (on a different part of my foot). This will be the last time I buy Montrails and have now started to look for other shoes to do ultras (e.g., Salomon).