Blog

Boots for Rugged Terrain

• December 2009
• Hi Steph Climb Gear

Ms. Davis,
I am a Border Patrol Agent stationed in Lordsburg New Mexico. I do a lot of mountain climbing out here and would like a recommendation on a good boot with excellent ankle support. It is very rugged out here with many loose rocks and the Danners that are supplied to us do not have a lot of support. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
V/R,
Tanya Hankins

Dear Tanya,
I have a couple of recommendations for you, because I always have a hard time finding shoes that can handle rugged terrain but still allow easy movement.

If ankle support is your main priority, you might like these Mammut boots. I use them for BASE jumping when I don’t care so much about being nimble, and want mainly to protect my ankles from rolling. If I’m really worried about my ankles, I actually wear a pair of velcro and lace up Mueller ankle supports inside the boots too, but that’s not the most comfortable for hiking.

If you want a happy combination of nimble hiking capability with some ankle support, I would recommend the Five Ten Exum Guide. These don’t go as high on the ankle, but really allow you to scramble and hike more easily, due to being lighter and having the sticky rubber.

I would say both of these boots run a little wide, and can benefit from a great insole if you are really focused on perfect fit.

Also, the lacing trick of hooking your laces through the lower pair of the ankle grommets before the higher pair is amazing for getting the best heel fit. Thomas Huber showed me that once in Patagonia, for lacing my mountain boots, and I have never had any heel slip ever since.

I hope this helps,
Steph