Which type of footwear to choose for mountain hiking and easy climbing

Trail runners

Trail runners are really running shoes made for mountain trails, but can also be used for mountain hiking. Compared to trainers, they...

Provide you with better protection and support

• offer a better grip

• are more durable

• make it easier to keep your balance with a pack on your back.

Compared to hiking shoes and boots, they are made with lighter materials, but still with a good grip. Their benefits compared to hiking shoes and boots are:

• light weight

• comfortable out of the box easy to break-in

• give fewer blisters due to their flexibility

• help keeping a faster pace

• wide range of designs and colours

• dry faster and cooler to wear for hot weather hikes

• versatile for many uses from hiking to walking and cycling

• provide good traction on rock thanks to their softer soles.

Downsides are:

• less foot and ankle protection and support

• typically less durable especially in rough terrain

I typically use them as approach shoes up to the huts or to glaciers to I avoid hiking in stiff mountaineering boots. To me the benefits outweigh the extra weight and bulk I need to carry with the boots in my backpack. I also use them for easier day hikes.

Hiking shoes w low cut

Moving up from trail runners to hiking shoes with a low cut, you get stiffer and stronger shoes. Benefits include:

• More protection

• More stability

• Higher durability

• Better grip and traction

• Waterproofing

• Warmer

• Smaller and lighter than hiking boots

They are in-between trail runners and hiking boots, stronger and more protective than trail runners, lighter and smaller to pack than hiking boots.

Hiking boots with medium to high cut

There are many reasons to go for hiking boots:

• Ankle protection and support

• Stability if you wear heavier packs

• Durable

• Best grip and traction

• Waterproof

• Warmer for cold weather

Downsides are weight, size, break-in effort and stiffness.

Mountain boots provide support, protection,
grip and waterproofing in the mountains.

Mountaineering boots

I still remember the first time a guide asked me to bring a pair of broken-in B2 boots and C2 crampons for summer alpinism. I had no clue, but here is a brief overview:

B0 boots are the traditional hiking boots with no support for crampons. Flexible soles and upper parts make them perfect for 3 season spring, summer and autumn hiking below snow and ice. They are not recommended for crampons due their flexibility.

B1 boots are allround 4 season walking boots that have stiffer soles and upper parts than normal hiking boots for scrambles, winter hill walking and long mountain days. Warmer than B0 boots. You can use socalled C1 crampons such as Grivel G10 crampons that are versatile in use demanding no special rubber edge that you find on B2 and B3 boots.

B2 boots for summer alpinism and Scottish winter climbing. They have even stiffer soles and upper parts and are warmer than B1 boots. Can be walked in, but they give me blisters, hence I use trail runners to walk up to the huts. They have a rubber edge at the back to fit for C2 crampons to provide a secure fit.

The photo shows mountaineering B2 boots with a rubber edge at the back to fit for C2 crampons.

B3 boots are designed for mountaineering, all-year alpinism and ice climbing. They have the stiffest soles and upper parts. Not recommended for longer walks. Warm and heavy. They have a rubber edge both front and back to allow for the most secure C3 crampons. A guide told me that in the Alps these are only necessary for north faces.

Approcach shoes and boots

Yet another category consists of approach shoes and boots. They are a mix of hiking shoes and boots on the one side and rock climbing shoes on the other. They provide stability, grip and traction on rock as well as protection and comfort for miles on tracks. Their soles are typically made of the same gripping rigid rubber as the climbing shoes.