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Boots

To walk comfortably and safely in moorland, hill & fell country, you need to protect your feet in purpose designed walking shoes or boots. In an ideal world, you would have different footwear to suit all the different terrains and conditions that you might encounter year round. However, this could prove too expensive for most people. Therefore, your footwear will have to perform in a range of circumstances.

Inevitably, this involves some trade-off between the features necessary for winter, high-level walking (crampon compatibility, ankle support, shock absorption, warmth and water-proofness) and those designed for less challenging summer & low level walking (flexibility, lighter weight, breathability).

To a large extent, you will get what you pay for. That having been said, there is no point paying for features that you won’t really need. So it’s best to start your search for footwear by thinking about the type of terrain in which you plan to walk. You should also take into account your foot size/shape, your build/weight and whether you are likely to be carrying a heavy backpack. The classification below will be useful in identifying the type of boot you need.

1-2 Season Walking Boots: Low Level Walking

For use in spring/summer conditions, on firm low level paths that are not particularly steep. Footwear in this category is designed to offer relatively more flexibility and often comes in the form of low-cut boots or shoes.

3 Season Walking Boots: Hillwalking/Trekking

For use on paths that are much rockier and steeper than those encountered in low level walking and where you will be walking all year round and in most weathers except snow & ice. These boots can be made from leather or fabric usually have a waterproof liner. The sole and ankle cuff will be designed to provide a good level of support and the boot will be water-proof and will have aggressively treaded soles to provide good grip in rough terrain. The overall support provided for feet and ankles will be enough should you be carrying a full backpack.

4 Season Walking Boots: Winter Walking

For use when you’re likely to encounter snow/ice. These boots will be stiffer (longitudinally and laterally) than Hillwalking/Trekking boots and so can take crampons for short periods of time. The overall level of support offered is enough for use when carrying a heavier pack on longer backpacking trips.

Mountain/Mountaineering Boots:

In winter the ground is often frozen or covered in snow, resulting in very different terrain to that found in summer. This difference is why footwear appropriate for summer walking is often inappropriate for winter walking. This does not mean that winter boots have to be stiff and heavy, as there are plenty of lightweight winter boots available.

When choosing a winter boot, the most important factors to consider are sole stiffness and ankle cuff height. This in not to say that insulation and water repellency are not important, as they clearly are. Rather, more fundamental elements of boot design should be considered first.

In order to appreciate why winter boots need to incorporate such design factors, consider how a boot interacts with typical walking terrain. First of all, remember that only the sole in is contact with the ground, and as the terrain changes, different soles, in conjunction with the whole boot design, will behave differently.

The soles of summer walking boots are commonly made of a soft rubber compound with rounded edges, they also tend to be very flexible. The creates a boot whose sole absorbs a lot of impact, as it can 'mould' around the ground quite effectively. This type of design is justifiably popular as it creates a comfortable walking boot.

However, a boot that absorbs forces applied to it, will also absorb them when applied by the wearer, if trying to cut through snow for example. Also, soles with rounded edges do not cut into hard terrain as effectively as soles with right angled edges.

When the ground is frozen or covered in snow the boot needs to create a stable platform, and in order to do this effectively, a stiff sole made of a hard rubber compound with right angled edges is required. Such a design allows the wearer to slice through snow, and the stiff sole means that the boot won't buckle as this is being done. 

A lightweight summer boot, and the fact that it can be completely bent in half so easily, means that it would be unsuitable for winter mountaineering. It would not create a platform on which to stand, and its low ankle cuff would not provide sufficient support to the lower leg.

As for 'What is winter mountaineering?', consider the consequences of a slip. If walking on a flat low level track covered in snow or ice, then a slip could still result in injuries, but not in a slide. However, if the angle of the terrain is sufficient that a slip could result in a slide, then boots that allow the wearer to create a stable platform on which to stand will provide much greater security, irrespective of that person's experience and capability. 

Boots and Crampons

It is important to think carefully about the terrain you will be walking on when selecting which boots and crampons to use. In brief, if the boot does not have a semi-stiffened midsole as a minimum, then it should not be used with crampons.

As highlighted above, a flexible boot will not create a stable platform, and this leads to the danger of the crampon becoming detached when in use.

When light is not right

Hopefully, it can be seen which boot designs are inappropriate for winter mountaineering, but also that winter mountaineering does not necessarily mean using heavy boots, as there are plenty of lightweight winter models to choose from. A boot that can be easily twisted or bent in half is inappropriate for winter mountaineering.

Whilst there is some variance in the sizing standards used by manufacturers
we have endeavoured to provide you with the most accurate presentation of these sizes below.