Lowa Mountain Expert GTX Review

Price: $200+

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COMPLETE REVIEW

Lowa Mountain Expert GTX is made of a tough leather and Cordura upper with well-placed ankle cut-outs for comfort and ease of uphill mobility and walking approaches.

Although I found this boot to be very flexible during vertical climbing, the X-Lacing with tongue stud enables this boot to be laced pretty securely, which mitigates foot slippage during walking and increases stiffness during climbing. In comparison to other boots on the market, I found their larger footbed and spacious toe-box to be more suitable with my foot than many other mountain boots.

Benefits

• Gore-tex lined, very comfy and flexible for walking.
• Lacing technique that is very accurate

Negatives

• It is not recommended for steeper mixed terrain.
• The lacing method provides for an opening at the boot’s cuff.
• Rubber boot sole that is less sticky

WEIGHT

Lowa mountain expert GTX split-leather/Cordura combination puts this boot in a somewhat lighter class than a full-grain upper, weighing 1,760 Grams (3 lbs. 14.4 oz.). During the testing period, no significant durability problems occurred.

COMFORT

The large toe-box makes for happy toes at the end of the day, whether you are walking great distances or continuously kicking into vertical ice. The Flexifit-Synchro lacing system performs an excellent job of securing the heel in the boot while allowing the ankle to bend. The footbed is made of Insulate Pro Alu-Coated with Fleece, which feels wonderful while you are on your feet all day in these boots.

WARMTH

My feet are heated, yet they still get quite cold in mountain circumstances. These boots kept my feet warm and dry. The Mountain Expert has a Gore-Tex membrane to keep moisture out and a perforated lining to enable the foot to breathe when exercising. The boot performs well in Colorado’s drier temperatures, as well as in the more humid winter conditions seen in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the White Mountains of the Northeast.

PRECISION

The Mountain Expert GTX Evo worked well on moderate to difficult snow, ice, and mixed climbs. The crampon interface (toe-bail & heel welt) is accentuated, so it accepts a wide range of automated crampons extremely well, allowing for a highly stable flat-footed technique and precise placements during front-pointing. When the climbing became more challenging (WI5+/M7), I noticed a lack of general boot stiffness, which did not offer the firm foundation that I had experienced on simpler terrain.

VALUE

The Lowa Mountain Expert is a boot that provides excellent value for money. For more than $100 less than some of its rivals, I found this boot to function well throughout a full season of usage on all-mountain terrain.

Materials

• Mountaineering Split Leather, CORDURA®, and Microfiber UPPER
• GORE-TEX® waterproof/breathable lining and 200-gram PrimaLoft® insulation
• CONTROL OF THE CLIMATE
• X-LACING/TONGUE STUDY
• TONGUE C4
• FLEXFIT-SYNCHRO
• Insulate Pro Alu-Coated with Fleece FOOTBED
• PU MIDSOLE (Polyurethane)
• VIBRAM® Dolent OUTSOLE
• 6mm Nylon STABILIZER

VERDICT

The Lowa Mountain Expert is an excellent all-purpose mountain boot. They work best with Marker Baron Shoes as this mountain boot is a wonderful weapon to have in the mountains, capable of tackling everything from lengthy winter treks to steep ice and mixed terrain. The Mountain Expert has a degree of flexibility that may not make it a perfect choice for really overhanging goals, but it excels in the overall comfort to performance ratio required for most easy to moderate alpine objectives.

Excellent boot! Warm, comfy, and breathable!

Pros

• Warm yet not stuffy
• There is very little wiggle room.

Cons

• So yet, none.

This footwear is very comfy! I have used them for snowshoeing in the dead of winter (-20 degrees C), and summer is climbing. They breathe nicely and have so far remained watertight!

They are good and firm, which allows me to comfortably use a step-in crampon or kick into deep snow to make a step.

I would suggest these to anybody seeking a versatile mountain boot.

Purchased brand new

$300 was paid.

Excellent set of boots. I got these for $50 at an REI scratch and dent sale and have not looked back since!

Excellent in the snow and on the path. I have had them in temperatures as low as -30 F, and they began to get chilly. At -20 degrees Fahrenheit, they performed admirably!

They are a little thick for hikers, but if you are taking a long approach, I would recommend some tennis shoes.

Overall, I am extremely happy with them, and they have outlasted most of my friends.

$50.00 USD was paid for this item.

Warm and airy. I no longer need to put toe warmers in my shoes. They are also waterproof, something my previous boots were not.

It will take some time to break them in.

$270 was paid.