Here is a short review of the Hanwag GTX approach shoes. I decided to post this after my trip to Nepal a few weeks ago (see previous post). The decision of buying these shoes was driven by the fact that I sometimes suffer from pressure points on my heels, because of a slight form of Haglund syndrome. I guess this was probably also the reason for my injury at the Achilles tendon after the Jungfrau marathon...Anyway, I decide to buy a pair of approach shoes that are low, so let's say below the ankle. I didn't even know about the Hanwag brand, but after a few trials in the shop these shoes feel really good and I decide to buy them.
Before leaving for Nepal I go off for a short hike after work carrying a 18Kg backpack and trying to walk uphill on a rugged footpath in the dark, a nice test I should say. They perform really good and I have no pains whatsoever...which is a very good sign. But still the test is not complete because I have only used them for 2 hours, while in Nepal I would have to hike for several days.
During the trip in Nepal I wear this shoes on every hiking day, except when I have to be on the glacier. They are absolutely amazing shoes. The sole is quite stiff, similar to a normal hiking boot, so they give a lot of stability when walking on rugged terrains. Also, despite being lower than the ankle I have the feeling that they provide a very good ankle support. I should say that I was hiking almost all the time with walking sticks, so these might help in increasing the general stability, but still I had the feeling that the shoes where very stable. As for every good hiking boot, the tip is hard and if it happens to kick a few rocks your toes won't feel anything. The level of grip is also astonishing, as they could basically grip onto anything other than bare ice. The porters managed to grip onto bare ice with trainers only...but I'm sure they were somehow cheating :). I also find that on the steep paths the fact of not having an ankle support is helpful. This is because I can flex my ankle much more than with a normal hiking boot, and therefore I can keep always the full sole in contact with the ground, hence increasing the grip. My fear was that I was carrying a heavy load, and after a while those shoes might have given me pain or blisters...none of this happened. I had absolutely no pain and not even the shadow of a blister.
When I reached the base camp of Mera Peak I wanted to give these shoes another test, and I went bouldering for a few hours. The base camp of Mera Peak is a really good place for bouldering...and I managed to spend three hours going from boulder to boulder. The shoes performed wonderfully...really really good. I could stand on really small ledges using only the tip of the shoes and still feel a great stability on the whole foot. Of course you cannot expect to be able to bend these shoes as you would with normal climbing shoes...but I guess this is not a defect of the shoes. So if you are climbing on walls or on boulders that do not require you to use too much friction, I would even dare saying that these shoes are better than the normal climbing shoes.
Of course they are also waterproof. I should say I did not have the chance to test them in a bad storm or crossing a river, but I had the chance to get them wet a bit and my feet were always nice and dry.
A snug fit, very high comfort level, good ankle support and generally a very good feet support...what can you ask more for a hiking shoe? I have never tried those sort of lightweight hiking shoes before, but I could say this is by far the best hiking shoes I ever had. I guess if you really want to find a negative point for them, is that having a low ankle I would be not so nice to walk through deep snow (as you might get some in your shoes). Also, if you are one of those fashionable hiker/climber, you might start complaining that there is no big logo of the brand on these shoes. Differently from La Sportiva where you can normally read the log from miles away, you almost cannot read the log at all. Personally, I find this a good thing!
In conclusion, if you are looking for a good pair of approach shoes...just go for them, you simply cannot be disappointed! The price might be a bit high, but looking at the material and to the fact that after two weeks of trekking basically no damage appeared on the shoes, I can say that the price is justified.
Give them a 9,5/10...9,5 only because 10 is perfection and as we all know, perfection does not exist :)
No comments:
Post a Comment