As part of of The Great Outdoors magazine’s February 2021 review of winter mountaineering boots, Lucy Wallace reviews the Mammut Kento Pro High GTX
These boots fitted me perfectly straight away, and are my favourites to actually wear. Fit is so important in winter boots- to avoid the misery of blisters and numb feet.
The Mammut Kento Pro High GTX has a roomy heel box, which suits anyone like me with Achilles niggles. A memo foam lining hugs the mid foot, holding it snug and preventing it from sliding forward. The toe box is narrow, but long, with plenty of wiggle room.
The ankle cuff is high and supportive, ideal on rough ground and in deep snow, yet soft and quite forgiving. Even in the insole is luxuriously thick and squishy. The main drawback for me is the lacing system, which is quite basic – with leather loops in the forefoot and locking cleats on the ankle.
Underfoot I found the right combination of stiffness and grip for general mountain use – great for the bog, wet rock and sloppy snow I tested them on. Although they are narrow, with all that padding, the external profile is surprisingly chunky, which makes them less precise as a climbing boot, but they are spot on for winter walking and easier snow and rock scrambles.
