chunky leather boots protect your feet and ankles from chunky rocks. you can kick and edge with ease in them. you can wear crampons with them. they are waterproof. they are not hot and sweaty.  they are heavy - but there's always a trade off. no blisters or achey feet beacuse they are laced correctly and fitted with effective footbeds.

Agreed Parky, for anywhere I'm expecting difficult rocky terrain boots are my first choice.

I bought Scarpa SLs when I first started out and found my feet hurt in them and thought they were very heavey.  They are now relegated to snow on the floor walking and my Inov-8 Roclites Trail running shoes get all the other outings, what a joy.

I was interested by Smeg's comment that he couldn't afford separate summer and winter boots. I've come to the conclusion that it's cheaper in the long run to have the two pairs. My reasoning is that winter boots cost more, and if I wear them in summer they will wear out more quickly - so I just use them in winter and they last for years. I can then use cheaper and more lightweight boots in spring/summer/autumn when I'm less bothered about wet feet, and when I'm not going to kick steps or use crampons. I do think that flexible crampons can be used with flexible boots occasionally on easy ground, but prefer to use them with stiffer boots. I've recently bought a reduced price (old model) pair of SL Lady M3 boots which fit me quite well so I hope they last for quite a while.

Just for interest, I'm slowly settling into a pair of Asolo PowerMatic 500's. Crampon-compatible and goretex lined. Lovely one-piece leather upper that gives huge confidence re never leaking. Very firm sole unit, which feels very stable on rocky ground. I don't do walking that needs crampons, so can't comment on their performance on ice with crampons attached. On roads the Asolo's are less forgiving than my other pair of boots (much loved Scarpa ZG10's), so on roads I get minor plantar fasciitis when walking (which doesn't persist when I finish). The chap who sold me the Asolo's reckoned other ex-Scarpa SL clients were finding them a very attractive alternative.
I had a minor bit of toe-rand peeling off in the first 3 months, but they've just been reglued for free. Once I've fully walked the boots in, I have high hopes for them. Mind you, I love the ZG10s and they've proven very capable in all conditions I walk in as well. I have varying foot trouble and was hoping the Asolo's would give me a little more support on longer walks, and have yet to determine if they really are better than the ZG10s, but they do feel great on tough hills.