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The Ortles Light Mid Powertext Mountaineering Boot by Salewa is a lightweight, technical boot that is designed for mountaineering. Be it rocky mountain passes, ice or snow, these are designed to handle it all.

Quick disclosure. Given the weirdly warm and snow devoid season I’ve had this year, I haven’t properly gotten to test these boots to the degree that I normally would. So, these are more quick impressions and less the deep, analytical thoughts I typically have. So, if you have any specific questions let me know as I’ll continue testing these as the conditions make sense.

So, that being said, so far these have been great boots. They’re lightweight, sturdy, and provide excellent stability across rocks, scree, and icy surfaces alike. The ankles are reinforced with a firm layering of materials, with an impressively robust heel stabilizer, generous ankle padding, and bands of fabric that connect directly to the lace points, which provides great support and help prevent rolling and twisting.

The tread is a moderately tacky compound that seems to be engineered to provide maximum traction on rock and slick surfaces in lower temperatures. It loses some traction when it’s extremely cold, but still grips well on snow and ice, although crampons are still recommended for icy terrain in general. The lugs are deep, mostly spaced far apart and best suited for pushing forward through soft mud or dirt, and work really well for sloppy conditions. Around the toe and heel of the boot, however, the lugs are more compressed together into tight, high surface area patches that provide a little more grip on smooth or slick surfaces. This helps when turning on hardpack dirt, packed snow and other smooth materials. This combination of deep lugs and smooth perimeter tread works really well in most scenarios.

Comfort is great, with smooth interior surfaces that are mostly devoid of seams or stitching. The footbed is relatively flat which I prefer in general for this type of boot, yet still provides a sturdy footbed designed for long, hard miles. The laces are well padded and the ankles feel soft and conforming, while neatly tucking under layers and pants.

My only complaints come down to getting in and out of the boots. In a word, it’s challenging. Even when opening up the Velcro straps and laces, forcing my foot inside generally resulted in my socks getting bunched up and stretched out of position. The Velcro tab also tends to make this subtle ripping sound as I walk, with the teeth of the Velcro latches slightly opening and closing as my ankle bends underneath. Perhaps this will ease up over time, but I found it relatively annoying at first.

A few small details exist that I really liked. A small locking cam is placed on the laces just above the toe area, which allows the toes to be laced gently while the upper foot and ankle can be laced tighter. This allows the user to fine tune and balance tension in a zone specific manner. This way there is no choosing between sturdy lacing and optimal toe circulation. The Powertex waterproofing layer provides excellent moisture protection and mild insulation, while not becoming too hot or sweaty in warmer conditions. Thick socks are recommended for winter conditions.

Construction quality overall fantastic. The materials are exceptionally rugged and well put together, with reinforced seams and bands placed everywhere that makes sense, without overburdening the wearer with extra weight. The seams show no signs of delaminion or peeling apart, and they clean up quite easily thanks to their somewhat hydrophobic properties.

Overall

The Ortles Light Mid Powertext Mountaineering Boot by Salewa are excellent boots. They’re relatively light-weight, sturdy, and provide excellent traction for most of the conditions one would expect for peak bagging and mountaineering alike. The Velcro enclosure is a bit tough to work with and occasionally noisy, but otherwise doesn’t impede the usage of the boots in the field. They’re comfortable, look great, and stand out with thoughtful design and all around high-performance. They’re a bit pricey at around $300, but you get what you pay for with these, making them easy to recommend.

Highly Recommended.

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