As part of of The Great Outdoors magazine’s February 2021 review of winter mountaineering boots, David Lintern reviews the Lowa Alpine Pro GTX
As the name suggests, this is an alpine boot, but brought up to date. Stiffness is at the lower end of B2 and as such there’s enough flex in the toe to make walking more comfortable, but enough stiffness in the sole to provide a good platform for crampons and to allow edging on snow and ice. The Vibram sole provides excellent traction, even on rimed up rock.
The fit is on the narrower side, but my wider forefoot still manages in these comfortably, with the advantage that my narrow heel doesn’t slip at all. The boot is quite long and so the toe doesn’t feel quite as precise as I’d like for more delicate footwork, but it does give my toes plenty of room on descent.
The insole is made of ‘DuraPU’, a little like memory foam and is very comfortable. The tongue has a built-in gaiter and there’s a big rubber wraparound rand to protect the suede and synthetic upper. The lacing system is great – concealed fabric hoops on the foot, with 2 metal semi-locking cleats at the ankle and regular cleats to finish. It’s very adjustable, and I appreciate the second ankle cleat especially on longer days with big walk ins/outs.
I’ve owned these boots for a couple of seasons now and they have become a firm winter favourite. The Goretex membrane in mine still works, they are warm and technical enough for mixed ground and lower grade winter climbs. They sneak in here as Best Buy because the price has just come down by over £100, making this premium boot excellent value.
This product has been awarded our ‘Best Buy’ endorsement, meaning our reviewer believes it to be one of the best items of its kind available.
