When you are pacing at 3,000m under the shadow of Europe’s tallest mountain, you need a pair of trail running shoes that are going to help not hinder your progress.

The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) is one of the toughest mountain ultra-marathons in the world. You are running at high altitude, night and day, in wind, rain and snowy conditions alongside 2,000 of the best ultra-runners on the continent. The race covers 108 miles passing through three countries – France, Italy and Switzerland. Most runners take between 30 and 45 hours to finish with the best runners taking just over 20 hours to complete the epic feat. Needless to say, the views en route are phenomenal.

“The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) is one of the toughest mountain ultra-marathons in the world. These shoes are designed for it.”

In honour of this famous ultra-marathon, Columbia’s Montrail trail-running division have designed a pair of trail shoes inspired by the UTMB. They are called the Trient OutDry Extreme and they are made for running in the most extreme weather conditions.

Whether you are pacing through rain or snow, the Trient OutDry Extreme shoes are built to withstand even the dampest days on the trail. They are made using OutDry Extreme, the latest waterproof technology from Columbia and it is astonishingly good.

Instead of having the waterproof membrane on the inside and a durable water-resistant repellent on the outside, Columbia have flipped this traditional waterproof technology on its head. OutDry Extreme instead has the waterproof membrane on the outside of the shoe. The result is a longer-lasting, ultra-breathable material that will allow sweat vapour to escape without letting rain in.