2/5/2018 1 Comment Salewa Mtn Trainer MidI've been stomping around in these bad boys for two years now and as with all good boots I'm equal parts emotionally attached to them and repulsed by how bad they smell wet. I've taken them through the jungle in Vietnam, walked on Lake Baikal in Siberia and climbed Vi Ferrata in the Italian Dolomites. Throw in some classic New Zealand scree running and just recently a photo shoot on the Abel Tasman and they've really had to handle a lot of different terrain. From a Kiwi perspective the MTN Trainer Mid's fall into the 3 season category nicely for both warmth and durability. The full rand provides plenty of hard wearing protection for the toes as well as the nubuck suede upper. The rand is definitely my favourite feature as I have a habit of stubbing my toes on all sorts of barely visible sticky outy things and I'm yet to put a hole in it. The 3F lacing system is designed to lock your heel down and prevent the foot slipping forward meaning lots of ankle support as well.
The Gortex lining is still waterproof which I'm impressed with as I haven't looked after the nubuck with a conditioning product - I do clean them with warm water after most trips though. Lastly, the vibram sole has started to wear down in places, especially along the inside edges but there is still visible tread over the whole foot. In terms of what I brought them for (alpine tramping, scree running and rock scrambling) I think the Salewas have performed exceptionally. As they are a bit on the more rugged side for a tramping boot I wouldn't recommend them for anyone sticking to perfectly groomed paths as you don't really need the rand or the heavier sole. The biggest fail was that I went a size too small when purchasing them when I should have known to go a size bigger than I normally wear. I have to tape the tops of my toes when going down steep hills as they just hit the end of the boot. It's turned out to be a frustrating lesson as the boots look like they'll do a couple more years at least and I want to upgrade just to get the fit right. *I paid $449 in 2013 and since then the colours have been updated and the specs are slightly different. Salewa has changed the overall look and upgraded the sole unit but these still sit in the same category for me and I continue to recommend them for heavy use.
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