Altberg Mallerstang £250

The burliest option in renowned Yorkshire bootmaker Altberg’s hiking range, the Mallerstang is a very traditional boot made for demanding terrain.

It’s built like a tank, with a premium one-piece full-grain leather upper backed by a Sympatex waterproof lining. It has a high, padded ankle cuff and a fully gusseted tongue. This sits on the brand’s stiffest PU midsole, with a Vibram Ice Trek outsole underfoot. This has seriously chunky lugs and a jutting heel breast that provides secure footing on a range of surfaces. There’s also a heel welt to accommodate a semiautomatic crampon, though to be honest this is a boot that is more at home without one fitted, which gives you all the advantages of that superb traction.

It’s really a boot built for yearround hillwalking rather than for precise, technical scrambling or mountaineering. As such, there is good torsional stability but also a little toe flex to make for easier yomping. You also get masses of ankle support, providing plenty of rigidity and protection whether you’re surfing scree or traversing snowy slopes.

The Mallerstang comes in a wide range of sizes and five different widths too, so it’s a boot that should fit a multitude of different types of feet, whether you’re narrow or broad of hoof.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

It’s a pretty heavy boot by modern standards. The chunky sole unit makes precise foot placement tricky when scrambling. It also doesn’t fit a crampon quite as neatly as other boots tested here.

■ UPPER Full grain Anfibio leather

■ MEMBRANE Sympatex

■ SOLE Vibram Ice Trek

■ MEN’S SIZES 5-14 and five widths

■ WOMEN’S SIZES No specific fit but wide range of sizes

■ WEIGHT 2066g (size 12)

Verdict

Offering a robust and supportive platform for mountain walking, this is a reassuringly honest boot on grass, mud, scree, rock or snow.

“Made for demanding ground and built like a tank”