Meindl Lhotse Boot Tested

The Lhotse's a 3/4-season item, which in our book means it should be suitable for year round mountain walking below the snowline and crampon use when needed. For sustained crampon use - mountaineering in Scotland for example - you'd be better off with a fully stiffened boot, but the slightly more flexible sole of the Lhotse and similar boots make it more comfortable for general walking use.

Comfort And Light

We've found comfort generally excellent, the combination of the nubuck leather and well-shaped internal padding makes for a comfortable fit straight out of the box and the Digafix lacing system holds the forefoot in position well, with no toe-stubbing on descents. Our only quibble was that the continental-style high-cut ankle can rub on ankle bones, though loosening or simply ignoring the top set of eyelets cured the problem instantly and it only happened on the left test foot, suggesting that it may have been a problem peculiar to our own gnarled ankles...

On top of this, the Gore-Tex membrane has kept our feet pleasingly dry so far and with minimal sweatiness, but then it is winter.

The boot's also very light for a crampon-compatible unit. A pair of size 43 Lhotses weighs in at 1632 grammes compared to 1972 grammes for a pair of the class benchmark Scarpa SLs and almost exactly the same as Scarpa's fabric Super Treks. Those extra 340 grammes may not sound much, but you'll feel it on your feet over the course of a day in the hills.

The pay-off is that the uppers and sole unit aren't quite as solid-feeling as the SL's, which makes the Scarpa boot a slightly better option for regular crampon use. The Scarpas also have a beefier, but less cushioned sole unit, so potentially more grip on hard snow, but less comfort when walking on hard ground.

We've found performance generally good for all-terrain walking below the snowline. The sole unit is cushioned enough and stiff enough for stability on rocky ground and it would make a good mountain-backpacking choice as well. There's also enough lateral stiffness in the sole unit to edge on reasonably sized holds for scrambling.

The Vibram Multigriff sole unit (modelled on an ibex hoof no less) does its usual dependably grippy gig wet or dry and - so far - the rand has remained determinedly stuck to the leather and protected it from rocky abrasion.

Brief experimentation with C1-graded crampons - hopefully more to come this winter - showed up no problems and we'd happily use them for winter mountain walking south of the border.

Meindl's attention to detail has always been excellent and the Lhotseis no different with carefully thought out detailing and quality materials. The company uses anti-wicking thread for example, to prevent water from seaping through the stitched seams, eyelets are non-corroding brass items and the insoles supplied feature a neat shock-absorbing pad under the heel.

The nubuck leather has stood up well so far and the padded ankle cuff feels soft and luxurious. Nice.

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