Hoka’s Original Trail Shoe Just Received Its Biggest Upgrade in Years

The original Mafate ushered in an era of max-cushioned runners. Now it’s back with a high-tech makeover.

Published May 15, 2025

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Some 15 years ago, a small running brand from the French Alps launched with a strange name and even stranger shoe.

But against all odds, the chunky yet surprisingly lightweight Mafate from Hoka One One ushered in a new era of maximalist cushioning that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Today, the brand — referred to simply as Hoka — posts more than $2 billion per year in sales.

As Hoka’s oldest shoe, the Mafate has been subject to iterative updates throughout the years, most recently with the Mafate Speed 4 Lite, a city-friendly riff on a wildly popular collaboration with Satisfy in 2024.

Now the model looks to be getting its most advanced update since the original, thanks to the Mafate X, a super-shoe version of the iconic trail runner.

The most advanced Mafate ever

Like all Hoka shoes that carry the “X” in their name, the Mafate X features a carbon-fiber plate, sandwiched in-between multiple layers of foam.

Here, that means a combination of PEBA — a similar foam to Nike ZoomX as featured in the brand’s record-shattering racers — and supercritical EVA that’s infused with gases (likely carbon dioxide or nitrogen) to make it both lighter and more responsive on the trail.

While the supercharged midsole will receive the lion’s share of attention among trail runners with a penchant for going long, far and, at times, fast, the upper of the Mafate X is arguably the shoe’s most novel attribute.

That’s thanks to a specially woven upper that both sheds weight and allows for easy drainage, as well as a patent-pending dynamic vamp.

Finally, Hoka’s go-to outsole, Vibram Megagrip, features here with pod-like cutouts for a smooth ride over unpredictable terrain.

All in all, the addition of super foams and a carbon-fiber plate are a welcome, if somewhat expected, update to a legendary trail shoe that kicked off a revolution in shoe design over a decade ago.

Together, the features bring the Mafate up to spec, giving the shoe a fighting chance in a congested field that even includes Hoka’s own UTMB-winning Tecton trail shoe.

Hoka trail running shoe — Hoka’s Tecton X series (pictured) has won UTMB the last two years.

Pricing and availability

The Mafate X is now available from Hoka’s official website. It costs $225 and arrives in two colorways at launch: orange Zest for men and red Feldspar for women.