Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 Review
The Golden Gate ATR is a shoe designed for road to trail, hence ‘ATR or all terrain’ and we’ve now completed our Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 review. Cushioned and durable enough to be comfortable on tarmac yet responsive and grippy enough for use on hard packed tracks and trails and everything up to but, not including deep mud.
I enjoyed running in the previous version. It was a work horse type of a shoe that offered a high level of cushioning without being too soft. It was also very durable and had well over a thousand miles of running on them before they were reduced to knocking about/gardening duties. At this point the midsole had stated to deform but, there was still plenty of lugs on the outsole. It could be said that the original Golden Gate was a bit of a plodding shoe. Great for the easy miles but, not lively enough or responsive enough to make it easy to pick up the pace in. The midsole was also quite stiff and so didn’t curve to the shape of the terrain easily. Which made them unstable and slippery when running on a camber. These points are all things that the team at Scarpa set to address when producing the Golden Gate ATR 2.
It is good to see that the Golden Gate ATR 2 uses the same outsole pattern and rubber designed by Presa. This rubber is durable enough for use on tarmac as well as trails and offers a good level of grip in the wet too. The 4mm long lugs give a smooth ride on the road and hard packed trails but also offer a good level of traction on softer ground. The Golden Gate isn’t a cross country shoe and therefore isn’t grippy enough for use in deep mud but the traction level is good enough to use the shoes for mixed routes that have sections of soft ground mixed in with some road and hard packed trails. You can run some really lovely routes in the UK joining public footpaths together with sections of road. There are often sections that are wet and sloppy (especially this winter) and finding a trail shoe that is comfortable on the hard packed ground but has enough grip to stop you from slipping onto your bum on the wet fields is hard to find. The level of grip on the Golden Gate ATR 2 is about right. You do have to be careful on the really wet ground but, you can keep moving enough to not spoil your run.
The stack height is the same as the previous version. 28mm in the heel and 24 mm in the forefoot. The 4mm heel to forefoot drop promotes a midfoot landing which allows you to make the most of the grips on the shoes and allows you to be nimbler helping you negotiate obstacles or broken ground more easily.
The weight has come down a bit. A men’s UK 8 weighs 255 grams and a Women’s UK 5 weighs 215 grams. Which is light for a shoe with this level of durable cushioning.
The initial step in feel is firm in comparison to a lot of trail shoes. Particularly those from the road shoe brands but similar to the other trail specialists like La Sportiva, VJ Sports and Inov-8. However, when you start to run and put some force through the midsole you get a lovely level of bounce. This added to the rocker/curved shape of the midsole gives the Golden Gate ATR 2 a lovely smooth ride. The firmness to the midsole makes it respond to changes of direction easily. The midsole doesn’t bottom out or feel like it compresses much at all even on steep descents on tarmac. The rocker guides you to toe off without you being aware you are getting a bit of help. Which makes it easy to forget the shoes are on your feet. This is a completely different ride to the original Golden Gate. The Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 is not only comfortable enough to cruise a long on steady or tempo runs but, it also feels good for hill reps or fartlek’s through the woods. In the original Golden Gate I was aware of the stack height. They always felt like a thick midsoled training shoe. In the new version I aren’t aware of the stack height at all. It is a much nimbler shoe.
On long runs the midsole maintains the nice level of bounce and doesn’t get softer the longer you are out. At least that is my experience on runs up to 3 hours in length.
The heel cup is stiff offering a good level of support and stability. The heel tab comes up high but curves away from the Achilles at the top to reduce the chance of any rubbing. There is a nice level of padding around the cuff. Enough to make the shoes feel nice and comfortable when used daily but, not overly padded so that the padding absorbs a lot of water. The tongue is gusseted and comes high up the front of the ankle to reduce the chance of getting any debri inside the shoes. The tongue is soft at the top where it might come into contact with the skin or a thin sock but is lightly padded with more protection at you move down the tongue. The laces thread through a tab on the tongue to reduce the chance of the tongue moving about while running.
Similar to the original Golden Gate the upper is made from a very thin but abrasion resistant mesh with overlays which are attached to the base of the shoes adding extra structure. The laces thread through the overlays to pull the upper in around the foot. This gives a nice secure fit at the heel and around the midfoot. The toe box has a straight big toe line to allow your big toe to provide a nice positive toe off. The toe box is broad and roomy so, your toes can function inside the toe box. Although not to the same extent as they can in a Topo or Altra shoe. The fit and room in the toe box is very similar to the previous version. What has changed is that the fit at the heel and through the midfoot is now much snugger. This helps give the Golden Gate ATR 2 a nimbler feel than the original version as you feel like the shoe is part of your foot.
There is an additional lace holes should you need to make the heel fit snugger or if you like to butterfly lace the shoes. The toe bumper is flexible but still offers a good level of protection from rocks etc. It comes over a cm into the toe box but is flexible enough that it doesn’t rub your toes even on steep hills.
The slightly softer midsole is able to bend to take the shape of the ground more than the midsole of the previous version. This has improved the grip and ride of the Golden Gate ATR 2 when running on rougher tracks or on a camber.
Currently Scarpa Trail Running shoes are only available in full Euro sizes in the UK. The Golden Gate ATR 2 sizes similar to Brooks, Saucony, Nnormal, Topo and Altra. If you use La Sportiva, Inov-8, New Balance, Hoka or Karhu then I would suggest trying half a UK size smaller in the Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 to get a similar length.
In summary the Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 is now truly a road to trail everyday training shoe. It has maintained the good points of the original shoe but become a lot more runnable.
Other Considerations
VJ MAXx2: Not as smooth on the tarmac but the lack of a rocker makes it nimbler on rough, broken ground. The grip level is similar, but the Maxx2 has more feel for the ground which makes you feel more secure on slippery mud. On harder terrain the Golden Gate is smoother with more bounce. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/vj-sport-maxx2-review/
New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v8: Not quite as grippy but still good. A bit more flexible once they get worn in. Higher heel to forefoot drop. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-hierro-v8-review-fresh-foam-x/
La Sportiva Akasha II: 6mm lugs give better traction on soft ground but take away from the smoothness of the ride on harder surfaces. The cushioning isn’t as soft or bouncy. Which takes away from the smooth ride on the road but, gives more feel on the trails. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-akasha-ii-review/
La Sportiva Jackal II BOA: The rocker gives a similar smooth ride to the Golden Gate but the midsole is thinner which gives more feel for the ground. The grip level is similar. The BOA fastening and gaiter stop you worrying about debris getting into the shoes or you laces getting untied in the undergrowth. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-jackal-ii-boa-review/
La Sportiva Prodigio: Once worn in these are similarly nice to run in on firm tracks and trails. The lugs don’t grip well on anything soft so they aren’t as versatile as the Golden Gate ATR 2. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-prodigio-review/
Topo MTN Racer 3: A broad rounded toe box give the fit more room to function inside the shoes. A 5mm lug gives better traction on soft ground. A firmer less bouncy ride makes them less smooth on tarmac than the Golden Gate. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-mtn-racer-3-review/
Altra Timp 5: A broad rounded toe box gives the toes more room to function. The cushioning is of a similar density and feels cushioned on the road. The lugs aren’t as grippy as the Golden Gate on soft terrain. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-timp-5-review/
Topo Athletic Pursuit: A broad rounded toe box and 5mm lugs on a zero drop platform. Designed to allow your feet to function and a more natural posture. The stack height is 28mm which is the same as the Golden Gate although the midsole isn’t quite as bouncy. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-pursuit-review/
Brooks Caldera 7: A softer feel to the midsole with a higher drop. It feels more cushioned but, isn’t as smooth in transition. The grip level is similar. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-caldera-7-review/
Topo Ultraventure 3: A broad rounded toe box and 5mm drop. Has the most width and volume of the Topo trail shoes. Feels the most cushioned on the road and works well on hard packed trails but isn’t grippy enough for softer ground. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-ultraventure-3-review/
Karhu Ikoni Trail: A good road to trail option. Similar toe box space to the Goldengate. Softer feel to the midsole. Karhu Fulcrum adds some propulsion. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/karhu-ikoni-trail-review/
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