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By grahamrollerson
25 January 2008 08:40
My boots are finally dying so I'm off to Go Outdoors to get some new ones. But... I'm also off on a Winter Skills course in a few weeks so I want a pair that will handle crampons and be sturdy enough for winter walking, but not be too stiff for the summer months. Do I need two pairs of boots or is there a "middle ground"?
By Country Walking magazine
Country Walking’s gear tester, Tom Hutton, says: “There is a middle ground – and it’s a pair of 3-4-season boots like the Raichle All Degree Lite (£140, www.raichle.ch) which won our boot test in January. This will take a C1 grade crampon (the most flexible of the three grades of crampon) for winter hillwalking, but can also be used in summer without. However, it might be a bit clumpy for easier low-level walking. If you do a lot of hiking, it would make sense to buy two pairs - a pair of three-season fabric boots for general use and a 3-4 season (or even a full-on 4-season) leather boot for winter.”
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Do I need different boots for winter and summer walking?
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Sir Geoffrey says
RE: My boots are finally dying so I'm off to Go Outdoors to get some new ones. But... I'm also off on a Winter Skills course in a few weeks so I want a pair that will handle crampons and be sturdy enough for winter walking, but not be too stiff for the summer months. Do I need two pairs of boots or is there a "middle ground"?
The short answer would be "no". I have a pair of Meindl boots that I have worn in hot summer weather and in the very snowy conditions we had early in 2010, including on a winter walking course at Plas y Brenin. However, while on the course I was able to try a pair of Scarpa boots which were great in the snow and ice, especially with a pair of C2 crampons. So I purchased a pair for myself for when I go out in the snow. I've also been experimenting with lightweight kit and so now own a pair of The North Face Prophecy shoes for summer walking. These are much lighter than a pair of boots and also much cooler. So, you can get away with one pair for all seasons, but if you can afford it then maybe two or more pairs will make life more comfortable.
The short answer would be "no".
I have a pair of Meindl boots that I have worn in hot summer weather and in the very snowy conditions we had early in 2010, including on a winter walking course at Plas y Brenin. However, while on the course I was able to try a pair of Scarpa boots which were great in the snow and ice, especially with a pair of C2 crampons. So I purchased a pair for myself for when I go out in the snow.
I've also been experimenting with lightweight kit and so now own a pair of The North Face Prophecy shoes for summer walking. These are much lighter than a pair of boots and also much cooler.
So, you can get away with one pair for all seasons, but if you can afford it then maybe two or more pairs will make life more comfortable.
31 July 2010 17:49
Dheorl says
Strangly enough I have the boots mentioned in the original answer. Although they definately are reasonable for all year walking they can be a bit much in the summer. For expeditions or big rock mountains they are good, for other stuff I'm currently in the process of buying a different pair, so IMO you can't have one pair of boots for both.
29 April 2010 21:42
LostMe says
Re: Do I need different boots for winter and summer walking?
No, just buy a good solid boot and go for it, you'll know when you need proper 4 season boots and crampons, as your experience grows. Two pairs are nicer though when its summer and you can use lighter footwear as you'll definently feel them in the legs.
04 February 2008 12:07
TAGB25 says
Some boots are neccesarily suited for crampons. But you can get away with wearing the same boots in all condtions if they're up to it. It really depends on your preferences to the stiffness of the sole and such
03 February 2008 21:49
GrahamThompson says
HiIt depends on how much comfort or how much performance you want. You could easily wear the same pair of shoes all year for everything from walking around your house, to walking to work, to digging the garden to taking your partner out for a meal followed by a boogie on the dance floor. In days gone by most people had two pairs of shoes. One for dirty jobs and one for clean occasions. Porters in nepal don't wear shoes at all until it gets cold then they were some flip flops or trainers if they are lucky. The first climbers wore their work boots and the first women climbers wore their stout shoes that were not their church shoes.So the question is not can you wear one pair of shoes all year. The question is what advantage is there in wearing different pairs of shoes in different conditions. When we look at the question in this way lots of pros and cons appear. My view is that some forms of footwear are better for some conditions. Manufacturers have taken this to the extreme by producing and labelling footwear as ideal for just about any type of activity. The knock on effect of manufacturers over production is more dissatisfaction and more confusion as people think there is always a better boot. However, some boots can be worn all year and provide almost as much benefits as other boots without too many drawbacks. The trick is finding those boots and deciding that they offer enough performance for what you need and what your skill and experience allow. The answer to what is right for you may be different to what is right for someone else will be different as there are so many factors.However, I would say if you want one pair of boots for walking over Lakeland fells and Scottish hills year round you could get by with a stiffish 3-4 season B1 boot (or even a stiffish 3 season boot if you are more experienced and stay off the snow in some conditions as you can in the lakes quite easily in recent years). That is what I wore for many years. To me they offer the best all round compromise for most people and most situations and their drawbacks are not big enough to worry about compared with lighter boots..Others will say lighter boots are acceptable, however i would say that they require more skill and experience from the wearer to overcome the problems of flex on snow. So while they can be used with crampons and worn on snow, they demand more skill and mean the wearer is sailing closer to the wind, - to use a boating term!Others will say a stiff climbing boot is better as that allows great edging ability for climbing and scrambling and they prefer the stiffer feel as it feels more secure, while being able to tolerate the stiffer flex that is less comfortable in the valley.Another way around the problem is you buy lots of boots of course ... which is what the manufacturers would love you to do!In short it depends on what you are after and what your experience is. GT
28 January 2008 13:12
andyyouart
31 December 2009
20:15
I''m looking for a decent flask. I've tried several but they're not keeping warm for long even after pre-warming. I'm going om MT winter skills course in 5 weeks so need to get something good for then.
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