UKC

As a highland-based gear reviewer Dan Bailey is not short B2 boots for winter hills and classic mountaineering, so it says something that the Ortles Ascent Mid are his favourite by quite a margin. Why is he so impressed...?

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Good afternoon. I would like to ask you what comparison (or differences) these Salewa boots would have with the La Sportiva Trango Towers Extreme. My question is about (1) the sole rigidity, (2) comfort of making long approaches, and about (3) the impermeability of walking in deep snow during long distances. Thanks!

I'm afraid I can't give you a personal comparison since I've not worn or reviewed the Trango Tower Extreme (I find that range very narrow). But Toby did review them some years ago, so we can give it a reasonable guess. As B3 boots vs the B2 Salewas they are going to be:

1. More rigid - if not totally rigid

2. Probably a bit less comfy on long walks, though a lot of this will be down to personal fit

3. As in, how waterproof they are? Both fully waterproof, you should not get wet feet as long as the membrane lasts (and you don't flood them in a bog). But the TTE has a synthetic upper while the OAM is suede, so I guess it's conceivable the outer layer of the Salewas could absorb more moisture over a long day in wet snow: but if you keep them well proofed I doubt this would be an issue.

Yep, I've not tried any Salewa boots at all, but the Trango Tower Extreme is very much a climbing boot - I haven't used them much in the last couple of winters because I was reviewing a Dolomite model - but I remember them as being basically rigid, a good platform to front point in, even when using not completely rigid crampons. I used my almost 20 years old original Trango Extremes on Saturday for a bit of ice climbing and they're still basically fully rigid after years of hard use.

And what do you tell me compared to the Scarpa Manta Tech that you mention? Which ones would you stay with? Or which ones would you choose for which situations?

They're a bit lighter and a bit more nimble for climbing than the Manta Tech, so they'd be a marginally better choice on technical ground though really both boots are good for similar low-grade winter mountaineering. They are similarly stiff, supportive and warm. Both are equally good for big winter days covering lots of ground, walking days as well as climbing. Which you'd prefer would probably come down to which fits you best. You'd only find out by trying both boots on in a shop.  

Subjectively, thinking about making large routes of 25-30km in mixed forest-snow-rock terrain, which ones would you use?

Myself, probably the slightly lighter and more nimble Salewas since they both fit me equally well