OK Cameron, fair enuf .. but brand new there's a big difference - was just in Tisos which was how I happened to compare them. New hedgehogs are very stiff. They must give over time. But there is definitely a shank in them. And isn't the heel higher?
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 Bob, if the Hi-Tec Sierras fit they should be fine. I've used various Sierra V-Lite models in winter conditions without problems. Otherwise the Keen Targhee Mids I mentioned earlier in the thread are good as are Brasher Hillmaster and Trailmaster boots. I'd only use the Trailmasters if I expected to wear crampons much of the time as they are on the stiff and heavy side (for lightweight boots!).
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 > A great number of broken legs are due to the stiff plastic boots that downhill skiers wear ie there is no flexibility in the system The biggest problem with skiing accidents is that you have a sodding great plank strapped to your foot. Regardless of how flexible the boot is, if the binding doesn't release quickly, your leg will be exposed to turning forces far, far in excess of anything it normally has to cope with, due to the lever action. Hence the preponderance of ACL injuries amongst skiers. Snowboarders, OTOH, suffer fewer ACL injuries because both their legs are strapped to the same board (most of the time...), and thus don't experience the same twisting injuries. They suffer more shoulder, wrist, coccyx and knee impact injuries. Snowboarding injuriesAn AOSSM article suggests inprovements in ski bindings have reduced fracture injuries by 80%, suggesting that it is the binding that is the problem, not the boot. Granted, if the boot becomes trapped for some reason, it cannot bend to release like a foot can, and so the bone tends to snap at the top of the boot...
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That's alpine skiing, with a locked down heel. Nordic skiing, with a free heel, has few injuries even though most Nordic skiers don't use release bindings (they only exist for the heaviest Telemark gear).
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Agreed, but are those few injuries broken bones due to stiff boots as Cameron suggested?
Of course, x-country skis can have both free and fixed heel; free to allow uphill use, and then free or fixed allowing you to choose the downhill style you fancy...
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 Hi Chris et al,
I have invested in a pair of Hillmasters as the seem a good fit.
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Sorry, Captn, I waas referring to the amount of broken legs sustained by skiers on icy paths etc, not when wearing the skis. At the end of the day, as so many folk have pointed out, it all comes down to personal preference. And we haven't even mentioned those characters who like to roam the hills dressed like Chris Bonington or Al Hinkes - it's all part of the identification thing. If we see ourselves as a mountaineer, we'll dress like one. If we see ourselves as a Chris Townsend wanabee we'll wander around wearing sandals. Thankfully, there are no rules in this lovely game of ours - and long may that continue. Mmm, I feel an editorial coming on...
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 Hear hear...
Wear whatever you want, whatever works...
Choose your own adventure...
Enjoy!
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 Blow your own trumpet...
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 If we see ourselves as a Chris Townsend wanabee we'll wander around wearing sandals
...and having sex changes!
:)
Choose your own adventure...
Hike your own trail...
Blow your own trumpet...
Eat your own bloody crisps!
:)
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> Sorry, Captn, I waas referring to the amount of broken legs sustained by skiers on icy paths etc
Aha. Yes, I will admit that stumbling around in rigid ski boots is very inelegant and prone to disaster. I see your point now. And, as I'm currently trying to test out a new pair of boots around the house, I'm finding that I'm rather ungainly. Which, given how nimble-footed I am in my old boots, is a bit of a shock. I think they may be going back...
> At the end of the day, as so many folk have pointed out, it all comes down to personal preference.
I had been tempted on a couple of occasions on this thread to post a (somewhat exasperated) comment asking if different personal preferences, experience and physiologies were acknowledged. I wrote them, counted to a large number and then deleted them without posting...
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 the local super hero "Bright tent man" has reported this spamming!!!
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 Hi Chris
Would be really interested to understand how / why you chose Keen Targhee.
I’m sympathetic to using Trail shoes for long distance walks (1,000 miles plus), but put off by their fragility.
For example, I have a pair of Inov8 330s that aren’t wearing well, and some Lafumas with a toe rand that’s started coming off, and a Vibram sole that’s started unpeeling – and this on easy trails.
Both shoes are generally fine otherwise – enough support, you can fly up and down hills etc, but I wouldn’t want to rely on footwear that can come apart so readily.
Do the Keens have a reputations for staying together ?
Thanks, Judy
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Judy A, the Targhees came in for test, that's why I started wearing them. However I continued wearing them after I'd written the test report, always a sign I really like something! I fine them comfortable and supportive. I wore them with crampons all day last year on the Cairngorm plateau and they were fine. I stopped wearing them in May because I found them too warm due to the membrane (the latest version has eVENT and should be a little cooler though I expect I'd still find them too warm in summer) and started again in October. So far they've proved quite durable.
Lightweight footwear certainly won't last as long as heavyweight footwear. I reckon on around 500 miles of Scottish hillwalking before light footwear needs repairing or resoling. On a 1000 mile walk I'd reckon on 2 pairs.
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Hi All,
Observations on trail shoes (Heilan' Sannies) and corrective insoles...
I'm joining this thread after 75 others so I doubt my input even relates to the original thread. I've followed the recent debates on trail shoes v boots so I got my self a pair of Innov8 Terrocs. So far I've used them for xcountry running and a short section of the South West Coast Path where I found them blissfully light after boots.
But having recently had my pronation problem diagnosed I started using Superfeet insoles. As well as finally ending the b#*^dy awful pain in my left heel it stopped my feet from splaying out to now pointing straight ahead. This resulted in the shoes having noticably better grip, I presume because the cleats in the sole were propery aligned to grip the soil. Chris has written previously that Innov8 shoes work well with these insoles, I sanction that.
Still, on steep stony ground, as in much of my Scottish walking, I know I'd be unsure about trail shoes even though I have run mountain routes with Walsh PBs-the trail shoes of 10 years ago but with less support!-. Maybe this suggests it is our attitude that influences our boot/shoe choice.
On the water ingress and short gaiter issue, I think the new gore-tex lined Innov8s with gaiters have potential.
KD
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 Reported to moderator.
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 Thanks Matt - I'm trying to get rid of these spammers but they seem to be cropping up as fast as I delete them. It's like trying to weed out mile-a-minute, or dandelions:-)
Hopefully we'll have something sorted out soon to make life more difficult for them.
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Actually the tech guys have just put it live, hopefully that should sort things out.
:-)
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