Salomon Pro Sticky Mid Tested

Salomon Pro Sticky Mid Boot

Price: £90.00

Weight: 1178 grammes (pair size 43)

Features: Contragrip bi-density rubber sole, rubber rand and heel counter, stretchable tongue, 1.6mm mountain leather uppers, climbing chassis technology, assymetric one-pull lacing system. Men's and women's versions.

Comfortable lightweight walking boot Not particularly sticky

The Pro Sticky Mid is - shock horror - the mid-cut version of Salomon's Pro Sticky Low we looked at a couple of months back. If you read that review, you'll know that while we thought the Low was a comfortable walking shoe and we used it on the Snowdon Horseshoe, we weren't particularly impressed with its stickiness.

Lack Of Tack?

According to Salomon the lack of tack could have been down to the chilly conditions - they say the rubber outsole 'softens in warmer temperatures...allowing better grip on smooth surfaces'. So to give them a fair crack of the whip, we took the Mids out to southern Spain where the rock is hot and friction abundant.

And the bad news is that despite temperatures in the 80s, the Pro Sticky Mids still weren't particularly sticky. Sorry Salomon, but there it is. They simply aren't in the same class for grip as Scarpa's Mescalito boot or the Helium shoe. Not slippy at all, but not markedly more grippy than a standard Vibram rubber sole. And with no edging performance either due to the running shoe-type EVA cushioning and lack of lateral stiffness.

Now The Good News...

It's not all bad though. We found the Pro Sticky Mids a very comfortable lightweight dry weather walking and approach boot. The styling's neat in a sort of faux rock boot way, but has advantages. The rubber rand helps protect the toes from wear in rocky terrain while the easy-pull lacing system makes for a snug fit on the foot. The narrow footed should buy carefully though, it's easy to run out of lacing, tightness adjustment on the forefoot section.

The higher cut ankle makes for a more secure feel than the Low version which is more confidence inspiring on uneven ground. On the downside, the stretchable soft foam tongue which aids the fit also means that water resistance is minimal which, in combination with the relatively shallow tread pattern, means these are best kept for dry, sunny days.

Verdict:Still not particularly sticky, even in warm conditions, but light weight, snug fit and neat styling make these comfortable dry terrain walking boots. Yes, you can use them for scrambling, but for a dedicated scrambling or via ferrata-type boot, you'd be better off elsewhere with a stickier, stiffer option. We do like the looks though - how shallow is that?

Performance
Value

Salomon web site

Pushed for time: Still not particularly sticky, even in warm conditions, but light weight, snug fit and neat styling make these comfortable dry terrain walking boots. Yes, you can use them for scrambling, but for a dedicated scrambling or via ferrata-type boot, you'd be better off elsewhere with a stickier, stiffer option.

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