What's It For?
The Lagorai GTX is an all-round mountain walking and backpacking boot with a medium stiff lasting board to give decent lateral stability. We wouldn't choose it for extended crampon use, but it should take a lightweight flexible crampon fine for the odd day walking in the white stuff if needed.
The Techy Bits
The Lagorai is a modern take on a classic mountain walking boot, which means full 2.2mm leather uppers with a Gore-Tex liner to keep water out.
Ankle comfort is taken care of by a foam-filled ankle cuff and the sole stiffness of the boot is determined by what Aku says is a medium stiffness 6 - 4 mm nylon lasting board. The cushioning in the sole unit is PU, which while not as light as the EVA used in many modern lightweight boots, is more durable and more robust.
Finally, the Lagorai GTX uses something called Dynamic Energy Point or DEP. 'A piece of synthetic rubber inserted at the ankle', it says here, 'facilitates ankle movement by assiting the foot's return to its starting position, thus saving energy when walking'.
How They Performed
We've visited the Aku factory in northern Italy and can vouch at firsthand for the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into Aku boots, so the overall quality of the Lagorai GTX is no surprise, they have a lovely, well-made look and feel to them even though they're weightier than some of the lightweight boots hitting the market these days.
The other thing that marks these boots out is that unusually for the UK market, where high volume is king, they're quite narrow both in the heel and forefoot, which means that they should be on the shopping list of anyone who finds 'typically British' boots fit them like a pair of shoe-boxes...
Decent quality, free-running lacing hardware makes it easy to adjust tightness and fit and the softly padded ankle cuffs cosset your bony ankles just enough for comfort but without feeling soft and woolly.
We found the combination of a close fit and nicely judged sole stiffness made them very capable on rough terrain, but there's also enough longitudinal flex to make for comfortable walking. They should still take a lightweight crampon for short periods just fine, though we'd save them mostly for use below the snowline.
Aku pays a lot of attention to underfoot cushioning and that really shows, with a good, comfortable ride on hard rocky terrain - and on tarmac and pavement - that's softer than we'd normally expect from PU. The footbed incoporates a foam heel pad as well, though we're not sure how much difference this makes.
Grip underfoot was reliable on all surfaces, as we'd expect from a Vibram sole unit. even one called a Weirwolf... And finally, so far the Gore-Tex liner has succeeded in keeping our feet well and truly dry both in rain and wet snow.
The only real negative we can come up with, apart from the boots being a little on the heavy side compared to some - only 60 grammes per boot less than the latest Scarpa Manta GSB for example - is that over a day's walking in the snow, the surface of the toe area was starting to scuff noticeably - it's mostly a cosmetic thing, but if you walk a lot on scree-type terrain, you might be better off with a boot featuring a toe protector and rand.
Verdict
Very nicely made, high quality mountain walking and backpacking boots with a good compromise between walking comfort, support and lateral stability. A modern take on a traditional, stiff underfoot boot, but with much improved ankle comfort and better cushioning underfoot.
Unusually, the fit is quite narrow which means they should suit walkers who find the fit of say, Scarpa or Brasher a little too loose on the foot. As always, it's crucial to try boots carefully before buying, preferably with the help of an experienced boot fitter.
Buy if... your feet are on the narrow side and you're looking for a high-quality, comfortable, stable all-round mountain walking boot and aren't too bothered about weight or its strange name.
