6 Best Snow Boots for Hiking
With the winter season upon us, snow hiking is one activity that almost all families look forward to doing. It gives everyone an awesome feeling that cannot be fully explained unless one experiences it. As with most outdoor physical activities, snow hiking requires protective gear that protects snow hikers from the dangers the activity poses. In this article, our focus is on snow boots.
Snow hiking boots are now specially and carefully designed to be lightweight, keep your feet warm and dry. Walking on packed snow is now more comfortable with these modern snow hiking boots. Below are the six best snow hiking boots available on the market.
1. Salomon Toundra Pro CS WP
If you are searching for a hiking boot that is both good looking to the eyes and capable of serving your snow hiking needs of keeping your feet warm even at very extreme temperatures of up to -40 degrees, this should be your go-to option.
The Salomon Toundra Pro CS WP is also tightly waterproof, which ensures that your feet are kept dry regardless of the amount of time you put your legs in the snow. This boot also has a Contagrip sole, which ensures a solid grip between the boot and slippery ice, reducing the risk of slipping and falling.
Key Features:
– Aerogel Insulation
– Contagrip
– Flexible
2. Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry
This is a boot designed explicitly for snow hiking. It is made of synthetic material and textile. The sole is made purely of rubber, which contributes to its lightness. This boot comes in two colors (Brown olive and Aluminum), which gives it a gorgeous look.
The Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry is fitted with the Vasque ColdHold, which ensures maximum traction between the boot’s soles and the ice’s surface. It is also waterproof, giving it a good feel all through your hike, no matter how long or far you walk.
Key Features:
– Waterproof textile
– Molded Rubber Heel Kick
3. Merrell Thermo Freeze
If you are a hiker that prefers your hiking boots to look more like your regular shoes than like a military sized boot, then get yourself the Merrell Thermo Freeze. This boot is made with a mix of synthetic material and leather. This boot is designed to perform its snow hiking functions of keeping your feet warm and dry through its waterproof PU-coated leather and M Select DRY waterproof membrane. Also, the Merrell Thermo Freeze has a removable Kinetic Fit base insole, which provides comfort to the under of your feet.
This boot puts stability and comfort first in its design, thanks to its Eva midsole, which gives more balance and acts as a shock absorber. There is also a mechanism in place that keeps debris and all kind of dirt out of the boot. This boot also provides maximum traction on ice by the Vibram Arctic Grip outsole.
Key Features:
– Molded nylon arch shank
– Waterproof PU-Coated
– Vibram Arctic Grip outsole
4. Columbia Bugaboot Plus IV XTM Omni-Heat
The Columbia Bugaboot Plus IV XTM Omni-Heat is made of leather and nylon, and a rubber sole to make it easy to lift during hiking. This boot is designed to be waterproof to keep the feet dry through long periods of snow hiking.
The Columbia Bugaboot Plus IV XTM Omni-Heat is intended to keep the feet warm even in extremely low temperatures up to -54 degrees Celsius. The boot is also designed to be lightweight, which makes it easy to move. An anti-slip rubber fitting helps ensure the grip of the boot’s sole on ice is firm enough to avoid slipping.
Key Features:
– Michelin Winter Compound
– Techlite lightweight midsole
5. Columbia Powderhouse Titanium Omni-Heat 3D Outdry Winter Boot
The Columbia Powderhouse Titanium Omni-Heat 3D Outdry Winter Boot is specially designed to fit the harsh weather conditions a snow hiker will face during hiking. This boot is fully waterproof as it has a waterproof exterior to make sure that water is kept outside of the boots.
This Winter Boot also has the Omni-Heat reflective warmth technology that traps heat in the boot and prevents it from escaping. It also ensures excellent traction between the boot’s sole and the slippery surface of the snowy ground. This boot’s upper material is made using leather and nylon and can keep your feet warm even at extreme temperatures of up to -65F.
Key Features:
– Michelin Winter Compound
– Omni-Heat reflective warmth technology
6. Vasque Coldspark UltraDry Boot
The Vasque Coldspark UltraDry Boot hiking boot is a boot built mainly for rugged terrains associated with winter. The Vasque Coldspark UltraDry Boot will provide you with incredible comfort all through your hike. It has a solid grip that can be relied on irrespective of how slippery the surface is.
This boot features a waterproof technology that will keep your feet dry. It also traps heat to ensure your feet are kept warm. It is also incredibly light, making it ideal for hiking. This boot’s makers paid close attention to comfort as they also included in this boot padded collars to provide for comfortability.
Key Features:
– Perpetuities Technology
– Cushioned dual-density EVA footbed
– Molded EVA midsole.
Ojonugwa Lawrence is a creative and disciplined outdoor writer with a background in psychology. Her love for outdoor adventures helps her connect to her readers and the universe as a whole.
Feature image by el lobo, Shutterstock
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