Meindl Litepeak Pro GTX £260

Ah, Bavaria – home of Bayern Munich, beer and boots. This handsome boot is made in Meindl’s historic Kirchanschöring factory. It is built from suede leather and synthetic mesh, with a PU midsole, a Vibram rubber outsole and a Gore-Tex lining.

The brand describes it as a boot designed for ‘ambitious trekking in low alpine ranges’. Translated for UK users, we’d say it’s more at home tramping frozen Lake District fells than tackling Scottish winter climbs. That’s because it has a PU wedge rather than a full-length shank, which gives the boot considerably more flex than most others here. This offers an increase in all-round hillwalking prowess at the cost of performance on steeper ground, especially when wearing crampons.

Having said that, they are still equipped with a heel welt for fitting C2s. But the boot’s real strengths are its low weight and high levels of comfort on easier ground. The soft and forgiving padded ankle cuff flexes easily with the foot. All that padding also makes them pretty well insulated for cold weather.

Underfoot, the Vibram Alpin sole is aggressive enough to offer good traction on soft ground but has a front climbing zone for more confident foot placement on rock. If you’re after a year-round boot that can front up to easier winter adventures, this will do the job admirably.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

The mesh upper panels look prone to wear. Despite a heel welt for a C2 crampon, they’re too flexible to offer the same assurance on technical terrain as other boots here.

■ UPPER Suede and mesh with wraparound rand

■ MEMBRANE Gore-Tex Performance Comfort

■ SOLE Vibram Alpin Rigid

■ MEN’S SIZES 6-12

■ WOMEN’S SIZES 4-8

■ WEIGHT PER BOOT 928g (men’s size 12)

“Good flex for all-round hillwalking prowess”

The Cevedale is Lowa’s most popular mountaineering boot. That’s no surprise, since it is a real workhorse, being robustly made with chunky leather uppers, a high wraparound rand and a Gore-Tex liner. This means that although they are not insulated, they are still warm enough for winter. They’re stiff enough to perform decently on snow and ice too, with a heel welt for a C2 crampon and a fulllength nylon shank.

A rigid toe box also means you can kick steps in steep snow or even front-point with crampons. But we still wouldn’t describe them as a full-on mountaineering boot – rather they sit somewhere between that and a heavy hiking boot. The sole unit has a slight rocker, and that nylon shank has enough spring to accommodate a natural walking action. The Vibram sole offers good traction on varied surfaces, and there is also a front contact zone for scrambling on rock. You also get plenty of padding around the ankle cuff for enhanced comfort, with a slight rear cutaway to help reduce pressure on the Achilles.

The fit is medium volume with a slim midfoot and a fairly narrow toe box. They seem to be sized a little more snugly than other boots on test. The heel didn’t seem to cup the foot as well as some other boots, but fortunately the excellent dualzone lacing system is so easy to adjust that it is possible to dial in a precise fit, with no heel slip.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

The thinner sole profile gives plenty of feel for technical terrain but means they lack a little cushioning. The fit is also not the most refined compared to some others here.

■ UPPER Suede and fabric with wraparound rand

■ MEMBRANE Gore-Tex

■ SOLE Vibram Scalatore Evo ■ MEN’S SIZES 7-12

■ WOMEN’S SIZES 4-8

■ WEIGHT PER BOOT 1014g (men’s size 12)

“Workhorse boot, robust and warm”