Walking boots

[garynortheast]

I decided it was time to replace my walking boots. The soles of my old Scarpa Ranger GTX boots are worn out after 6 years of hard use, the Scarpa Boreas boots never lasted long with the soles wearing out at the heels, and the boots letting in water. I bought a pair of Grisport Pyke boots earlier this year, and while they are very comfortable they are neither suitable for serious days in the mountains, nor waterproof (despite the little metal label on them that says "Waterproof").

I was looking for another pair of the Scarpa Ranger GTX, but the price for the latest version is now over £200 generally. The cheapest I could find a pair was £187. While I was looking about I came across a pair of the Scarpa SL Activ boots on Ebay. These are Scarpa's flagship 4 season mountain boots, and they go for anything up to £300+ new. The ones on ebay were being sold by a chap who had bought them new, worn them for 15 miles and decided they didn't suit his feet. They photos were very detailed and showed them as being almost like new. He was asking £170 for them, more than £30 less than a full price pair of the Rangers, so I took a chance on them.

I will say, I am not disappointed! They are, to all intents and purposes, a brand new pair of top quality mountain boots. There is absolutely no visible wear on the soles, and the leather uppers are completely unmarked.

Freshly cleaned and re-proofed.



I've done a local walk in them and they may need a bit of breaking in, but we shall see how they are tomorrow. Sioned is on her way over and we're walking up Arenig Fawr in the morning.

Some mountain pictures will be incoming on Tuesday!