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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 06:22:45 |
Hello,
for many years I've been using high hiking boots (Alpina) and have no issues with them, but for summer tours I'm looking for low hiking footwear. Not for short walks or easy hikes, but for serious mountain tours.
Interested in experiences with low footwear for:
– longer tours (1000 m + elevation gain),
– demanding mountain terrain,
– classic high summits like Triglav, Piz Boè and similar peaks in summer conditions (dry, no snow).
What interests me:
– which models of low footwear you use,
– how they perform in stability, grip and comfort,
– if you'd recommend them without hesitation for the mentioned goals.
Haven't worn trail running shoes (e.g. Hoka etc.) yet, so mainly interested in real user experiences in mountains, not theory.
Thanks for opinions and advice.
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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 06:22:45 |
Hello,
for years I've been using high hiking boots (Alpina) and have no issues with them, but for summer tours I'm looking for low hiking footwear. Not for short walks or easy hikes, but for serious mountain tours.
Interested in experiences with low footwear for:
– longer tours (1000 m + elevation),
– more demanding mountain terrain,
– classic high summits like Triglav, Piz Boè and similar peaks in summer conditions (dry, no snow).
What interests me:
– which low footwear models you use,
– how they perform in stability, grip and comfort,
– whether you'd recommend them without reservations for the mentioned goals.
Haven't worn trail running shoes (e.g. Hoka etc.) yet, so mainly interested in real user experiences in mountains, not theory.
Thanks all for opinions and advice.
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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 06:22:45 |
Hello,
for many years I've been using high hiking boots (Alpina) and have no issues with them, but for summer hikes I'm looking for low hiking footwear. Not for short walks or easy hikes, but for serious mountain tours.
Interested in experiences with low footwear for:
– longer tours (1000m+ elevation gain),
– more demanding mountain terrain,
– classic high summits like Triglav, Piz Boè and similar peaks in summer conditions (dry, no snow).
What interests me:
– which models of low footwear you use,
– how they perform in terms of stability, grip and comfort,
– whether you would recommend them without hesitation for the mentioned goals.
I haven't worn trail running shoes (e.g. Hoka etc.) yet, so I'm mainly interested in real user experiences in the mountains, not theory.
Thanks everyone for opinions and advice.
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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 07:01:21 |
My brands
1:Hoka
2:Alpina
3: La sportiva
4: highest rated by users.
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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 07:01:21 |
My brands
1:Hoka
2:Alpina
3: La sportiva
4: highest rated by users.
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| Martin Dercar31. 01. 2026 07:01:21 |
My brands
1:Hoka
2:Alpina
3: La Sportiva
4: best rated by users.
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| Tomco31. 01. 2026 09:28:07 |
Options are plenty, maybe too many, enough to confuse a person .
With La Sportiva (e.g. TX4), Scarpa (e.g. Mescalito) or Salewo (e.g. MTN Trainer) you won't go wrong. Besides the mentioned, there are many similar models from these and other brands for the same purpose. You have to go and try which fits your foot best.
I have Scarpa Mescalito Planet for summer variants, vias ferratas etc. and it performs great. "Planet" version because it's the most breathable (yet water-permeable), I sweat a lot. Regular leather Mescalito is even more robust. But I still often choose high boots for longer tours due to psychology later on long descents. Or if expecting snow, high wet grass etc. Of course entirely individual.
Personally I don't swear by trail shoes for long serious high mountain tours. They're simply too soft. Especially if there's scrambling and ferratas. Even the trail shoe suffers a lot in such environment. But that's just me. You'll see mountain runners go to the end of the world in running shoes
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| Tomco31. 01. 2026 09:28:07 |
There are tons of options, maybe even too many, enough to confuse a person.
With La Sportiva (e.g. TX4), Scarpa (e.g. Mescalito) or Salewa (e.g. MTN Trainer) you surely won't go wrong. Besides the mentioned, there are many similar models from these and other brands serving the same purpose. You have to go and try which one fits your foot best.
For summer variants, via ferratas etc. I have Scarpa Mescalito Planet and it performs great. I got the "Planet" version because it's the most breathable (also waterproof), and I sweat a lot. The regular leather Mescalito will be even more robust. But I must say that for longer tours I often still choose high boots, due to psychology later on long descent. Or if expecting snow, high wet grass etc. This is of course completely individual.
Personally I don't swear by trail shoes for long serious high alpine tours. They are simply too soft. Especially if there's climbing and via ferratas. Even the trail shoe suffers a lot in such terrain. But that's just me. You'll see a mountain runner go to the end of the world in running shoes
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| Tomco31. 01. 2026 09:28:07 |
There are plenty of options, maybe too many, enough to confuse a person.
With La Sportiva (e.g. TX4), Scarpa (e.g. Mescalito) or Salewa (e.g. MTN Trainer) you surely won't go wrong. Besides the mentioned, there are many similar models from these and other brands for the same purpose. You have to go and try which one fits your foot best.
I have Scarpa Mescalito Planet for summer variants, via ferratas, etc. and it performs great. I have the "Planet" version because it's the most breathable (yet waterproof), and I sweat a lot. The normal leather Mescalito is even more robust. But I must say that for longer tours I often still choose high boots, because of the psychology later on long descents. Or if I expect snow, high wet grass etc. That's of course entirely individual.
Personally I don't swear by trail shoes for long serious high mountain tours. They are simply too soft. Especially if there's scrambling and via ferratas. Even the trail shoe suffers a lot in such environment. But that's just me. You'll see a mountain runner go to the end of the world in running sneakers
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| turbo31. 01. 2026 10:34:52 |
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| turbo31. 01. 2026 10:34:52 |
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| turbo31. 01. 2026 10:34:52 |
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| Martin Dercar1. 02. 2026 06:57:29 |
I agree 👍
Via ferratas and climbing are no-go for me, I do exclusively hikes (Triglav, Piz Boè etc.). So robust hiking shoes like TX4 / Mescalito / MTN Trainer fully suffice for me and make more sense than trail sneakers. The key is that the shoe fits my foot well and is stable enough for long descents. For snow or wet grass conditions I also prefer high boots.
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| Martin Dercar1. 02. 2026 06:57:29 |
I agree 👍
Via ferratas and climbing are no-go for me, I do exclusively hikes (Triglav, Piz Boè etc.). So robust hiking shoes type TX4 / Mescalito / MTN Trainer fully suffice for me and make more sense than trail sneakers. Crucial is that the shoe fits my foot well and is stable enough for long descents. For snow or wet grass conditions I also prefer high boots.
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| Martin Dercar1. 02. 2026 06:57:29 |
I agree 👍
For me via ferratas and climbing are no-go, I do exclusively hikes (Triglav, Piz Boè etc.). That's why robust hiking boots like TX4 / Mescalito / MTN Trainer are perfectly sufficient for me and make more sense than trail sneakers. Key is that the boot fits my foot well and is stable enough for long descents. For snow conditions or wet grass I also prefer high boots myself.
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| Lamps1. 02. 2026 09:52:33 |
Hoka is a bad choice for serious rocks. The sole is so soft that sharp rocks almost cut it in half. Plenty of pics on the net Especially Speedgoat model. Of all models, Mafate has the hardest sole. Runners have 10 pairs of shoes and use the more worn ones (400km+) for hills. Due to thick sole and better cushioning they're also poorly stable and you can easily twist ankle. Especially downhill running.. Cheaper and very quality for me is Nike Zegama 2, has Vibram sole and raised gaiter.. Grips very well on rocks, only can be hot.. Twice a year on official site under 90€. For 10 years I've also used Inov8 shoes. Not so popular here and often discounts online under 100€. Sole is very good, not so cushioned and good ground contact.. But like all sneakers they wear at toe mesh.. So I advise against running shoes just for rocks, only if you plan to use for training on local hills and midweek hikes.. In rocks you'll destroy it before 200 km..
Regards
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| Lamps1. 02. 2026 09:52:33 |
Hoka is a bad choice for serious rocks. The sole is so soft that sharp rocks almost cut it in half. There are tons of pics on the net Especially the Speedgoat model. Of all models, the Mafate model has the hardest sole. Runners have like 10 pairs of shoes and then use the more worn-out ones for hills (400km plus). Because of the popularity of the thick sole and better cushioning, they are also very unstable and you can easily twist your ankle. Especially when running downhill.. A cheaper and very high-quality version for me is the Nike Zegama 2; it has a Vibram sole and raised gaiter.. They grip very well on rocks; the only issue is they can be hot.. Twice a year you can get them on the official site for less than 90€. For 10 years I've also been using Inov8 shoes. They are not so popular here and often there are sales online for less than 100€. The sole is very good, not so cushioned, and you have good ground contact.. But like all sneakers, they wear out at the mesh by the toes.. So I advise against a running shoe just for rocks, only if you plan to use it for training on local hills and midweek hikes.. On rocks you'll destroy it before 200 km.
Regards
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| Lamps1. 02. 2026 09:52:33 |
Hoka is a bad choice for serious rocks. The sole is so soft that sharp rocks almost cut it in half. You have plenty of pics on the net Especially the speedgoat model. Of all models the Mafate has the hardest sole. Runners have like 10 pairs of sneakers and then for hills use the more worn ones (400km plus). Because of the popularity of thick soles and better cushioning they are also very unstable and you can easily twist your ankle. Especially downhill running.. For me, a cheaper and very high-quality version is the Nike Zegama 2, has vibram sole and raised ankle or gaiter.. Grips very well on rocks, only they can be hot.. Twice a year you get them on the official site for under 90€. For 10 years I've also been using Inov8 shoes. Not so popular here and often have online deals for under 100€. Sole is very good, not so cushioned and good ground contact.. But like all sneakers they wear out at the toe mesh.. So I advise against running sneaker only for rocks, only if you plan to use it also for training on local hills and weekday hikes.. In rocks you'll destroy it before 200 km..
Regards
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| Tomco1. 02. 2026 10:41:07 |
Martin,
no mistake. TX4, Mescalito, MTN trainer etc. are not trail shoes. They are so-called "approach" shoes, full-blooded robust mountaineering boots and that's what we're talking about for your purpose. If you take TX4 or Mescalito with GTX membrane (depending on what you want), you'll be covered for all summer scenarios.
Trail shoes I mentioned at the end of my post and Lamps talks about are a different type. More like sneakers and don't look at those for your purpose.
Otherwise best if admin merges this thread with turbo's link.
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| Tomco1. 02. 2026 10:41:07 |
Martin,
so there's no mistake. TX4, Mescalito, MTN trainer etc. are not trail shoes. They are so-called "approach" shoes, full-blooded robust hiking boots and that's what we're talking about for your purpose. If you take TX4 or Mescalito with GTX membrane (depending on what you want), you'll be covered for all summer scenarios.
Trail shoes, which I mentioned at the end of my post and which Lamps talks about, are a different type of shoe. That's more like super sneakers and don't look at those for your purpose.
Otherwise best if admin merges this thread with turbo's link.
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