The continuing development of lightweight equipment has been of enormous benefit to walkers and climbers. However, when it comes to winter footwear, it's important to remember what you will require from your boots, before getting carried away.
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.
The picture shows a common 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.
Finally, a report published earlier this year looking at Scottish Mountaineering Incidents found that 27% involved slips. Considering that a slip in winter is likely to be more serious than in summer, then wearing appropriate boots for winter mountaineering is very important.
By Jon Garside
