Kayland Vertigo High - usage report

Some kind person (Thanks Bill!) made an obvious point out to me about my previous review of the Kayland Vertigo High hiking boot. To be more specific, he was looking to find out more about how I felt the boot was supporting the foot. Especially for those who may be prone to rolling on ankle on loose or rocky terrain.

Well, For those of you who don't follow my blog, and happen to stumble upon it, strictly for the boot review, the nature of my employment recently took me on a trip to the antarctic peninsula, where I happen to bring my new boots with me. The terrain on my trip varied from roads on the streets of the city, to climbing over piles of rocks the size of soccer balls, to tramping up a glacier to see what I could see. Below is a picture where you can kind of see some of the terrain I was on... picture the rocks more varied in size, and looser.

The day I decided to take my climb up the glacier I managed to pick one of the windiest, wettest days there, but I wasn't going to loose the opportunity to hike up a glacier in Antarctica. The boots preformed very well.

I have found the lacing system to work very effectively. In fact, it worked so effectively that I have found that I actually can't tighten these boots like I was used to tightening my old ones. I ended up cutting off circulation to my feet. The tops of the boots come up over my ankle and I'm able to lace the shoes up to have a good snug grip on my whole foot and ankle, all while still providing enough movement to allow me to walk very comfortably. While I myself am not prone to rolling ankle injuries, I found myself on many an odd angle hiking around the "backyard" of Palmer Station. The boot preformed well.

During the weather I also pushed through mud, puddles and a rain/snow mix flying at me in 25-35 knot winds. The boots had excellent grip on the wet rocks. While you still have to be careful of foot placement in this terrain, I didn't feel I had to test every step with my weight. Going up the glacier I encountered hard ice, where I don't think anything short of Yak Traks or crampons would have helped. The boots slipped there, as I would expect them to. I also walked through sections that were there was hard ice but it had been weathered to have pea sized nubs and channels. Mild slippage here, but nothing a little caution wouldn't take care of. Yak Traks would still be preferable here. The glacier also had some loose wet snow where my foot would sink in an inch or three. No problem with traction there. There was one section where I started to post hole a little bit, up to just beyond the top of the boot. This caused my socks to get wet and soak water down into the boot. Had I had my gators with me, this wouldn't have been an issue. Even still, I think the boot did a good job keeping a majority of the water out. I had no problems going through water, nor did my feet ever get cold. Again, I'm very satisfied with these boots. They are still the most comfortable boot I've ever had, and I'd buy them again in a heart beat.