Winter Hiking in Lowa's Montreal GTX Mid Boots

First Impressions

I’m always excited to slip into a new pair of Lowa hiking boots, and the Montreal GTX Mid winter boots were no exception. Right out of the box, they’re deceptively lighter than they appear, and they have a sleek and sporty style—like a cross between a sneaker and a streamlined snowboarding boot. Slipping them on, it was like slipping my feet into a warm hug. They were immediately comfortable—and did I say warm? The Gore-Tex Partelana insulation goes right to work at keeping the feet toasty, so there’s no need to bulk up in heavy thermal socks. A regular pair of midweight hikers was just fine. Lacing is quick and easy, and once secured, I was ready to go and tromp some snow and soggy trail.  

On the Trail

Laced up and ready to go, the Montreal GTX Mid was a little stiff out of the gate, due mostly to the extra-high ankle coverage. They do have some flexibility here, and this improved as I worked them in, and it did not hinder my normal walking gait. Conversely, this proved to be great for keeping snow, slush and soggy trail debris from creeping up and inside. The synthetic upper and Gore-Tex liner worked admirably to keep the cold and wet on the outside and my feet warm and dry on the inside. The grippy Winter Trac outsole performed nicely at keeping me steady on my feet on all types of winter trail surfaces, especially soggy duff and compacted snow; they were a little slippy on wet rock and, of course, ice.

For tackling the deeper snow and icy conditions, strapping on my snowshoes or traction devices was quick and easy thanks to their somewhat slim profile. I was able to get quickly in and out of my touring and alpine snowshoes (one with a multi-strap binding, the other with more of a step-in style binding). The Montreal’s light weight made slogging through the snow in snowshoes quite effortless. Switching to my traction devices, it was easy to pull on simple ice cleats as well as more rugged MICROspikes. Adjusting the stretchy device harnesses around the boot was simple enough. The softer, flexible soles of the Montreals, however, are not ideal for using with heavy mountaineering crampons in harsh terrain.