When you equip your self with a good pair of hiking footwear, you are able to enjoy your outdoor trek far better without worrying about blisters and this assumes greater importance during winter which brings with it other issues. The chilly atmosphere has the potential to transform ordinary trekking paths into hazardous icy trails and that is something you need to be aware of when selecting your winter hiking footwear.
Some tips on how to pick appropriate winter hiking shoes is mentioned as under.
A Good Winter Hiking Boots
Traction – You must avoid walking on smooth surfaces and ensure that the winter hiking boots have enough grip. Strong traction needs to be provided by the hiking shoes to avoid any possibility of slipping and getting hurt.
Any suspicion that your hiking shoes may not maintain its traction due to the accumulation of ice or snow within it needs to be addressed through spike chains that you can fix onto your shoes and this will help your shoes sustain their traction.
Warmth – Obviously in the winter, your feet can get cold easily, especially if you are trekking in deeper snow, so you want to ensure that you get some very warm boots, so that they can handle the lowest temperatures which you will be walking in. Complement your winter hiking footwear with thick woolen socks as these will not only provide warmth but by virtue of their length, enable you to stretch them such that they do not allow any cold air to get into your footwear.
The winter hiking shoes that you buy must also be water resistant so that no water that is formed on the outside of the shoes due to the melting of snow and ice gets into your shoes and you end up with soggy shoes. This is why getting waterproof winter hiking shoes is necessary.
You must pick up Gore-Tex liners as in addition to being water resistant, they also enable any extra wetness caused due to sweaty feet to harmlessly pass through them.