What I Liked

Easy on, Easy off

The LOWA Alba II GTX is a tall boot with an eleven-inch shaft height. The problem with tall boots is that they require a lot of lacing and unlacing to get in and out of. For comparison, my Sorel Joan of Arctic boots are even taller—nearly a twelve-inch shaft height. They’re an ordeal to put on and take off because all the laces have to be fully loosened.

However, the Alba II’s come with both a lacing system and a functional waterproof zipper. Once I dialed in the laces I could enter and exit the boots with the zipper only. Although they will require the occasional adjustment depending on what you’re wearing for bottoms (e.g. jeans, shells, leggings), they are a breeze to put on and take off with just a tug of the zipper.

Warmth

Warm means something different for everyone. When the weather is cold, staying warm depends as much on staying dry. When you sweat, or if snow or water penetrate, the moisture stays trapped on, or next to, your skin, making it nearly impossible to stay warm. Moisture is the enemy of warmth – if your skin is wet, it’ll be more difficult to stay or get warm.

The LOWA Alba II GTX’s derive their warmth and insulation from a GORE-TEX Partelana® lining that is 80% polyester and 20% wool. Additionally, the Alba’s footbed has a breathable top layer and transports moisture from the foot. So far this winter the coldest day in these boots was -8 on a snowshoe hike and my feet wouldn’t ever have known.

Traction

LOWA named the outsole for this particular boot the “LOWA Winter Trac®”. When I evaluated the Alba II GTX’s traction, I looked for how well the outsole gripped onto snow or terrain, not necessarily if I could sprint across a sheet of ice and stop on a dime. Predictably, the traction is excellent on all terrain from snow-covered winter sidewalks to snow-packed hiking trails.

The Alba II GTXs have a serrated stud arrangement that helps to shed snowpack, which helps to resist and mitigate slips, skids and slides. If you plan to be walking on frozen, icy snow or ice you’ll need to add some trail crampons. Which brings me to…

Snowshoe- and Trail Crampon-Compatible!

The LOWA Alba II GTX’s are ideal for snowshoeing or walking with trail crampon. When comparing them to my Sorel Joan of Arctic boots, there turned out to be no comparison.

Where the Joan of Arctic boots have a soft and wider sole that feel clumsy when walking, the Alba II’s are stiff, contoured and narrow. The Joan of Arctic’s require the jaws of life to fit into snowshoe bindings, the Alba II’s just glide in. Where I feared tearing the silicon harness of my Hillsound Trail Crampons and Kahtoola MicroSpikes on the Joan of Arctic’s, the Alba II’s narrow last were born for them.

Fit

Runs true to size. Since it’s still a boot be sure to always go a half-size up from your normal size. I wear a 7.5 shoe but a size 8 in boots.

Waterproof-ness

“GTX” is code for “Gortex”. The Alba II GTXs, therefore, are waterproof. Allow me to clarify what waterproof means in a hiking boot. Can you walk into a knee-deep lake or river and emerge on the other side with dry feet? No. But if you’re hiking in snow, slush, pouring, sheeting, pelting rain and wading through puddles your feet will stay dry.

Comfort

The LOWA Alba II GTX are plenty flexible for a cold-weather hiking boot. After a day of hiking in snowshoes or on trails hard-packed with snow, kicking them off my feet when I got home wasn’t Priority #1.

Final Thoughts

I, like many, got caught up in the whole Sorel Joan of Arctic craze. The faux fur ruff, how cute they look with tights and a puffy down coat or a down skirt. Warm and waterproof, they are hard to pass up. They’re great for walking in fluffy snow.

But they’re big. Clunky. Wide. Heavy. I have to make a concerted effort to keep their ample width from pressing on the gas and the brake at the same time. They’re tread-less and unpractical for walking on sketchy surfaces. There is no mistaking that I’m wearing big clunky snow boots.

This review wasn’t intended to be a blood match between the Sorel Joan of Arctic’s and the LOWA Alba II GTX but there’s no mistaking that the LOWA Alba II GTX are the antithesis of the Joan of Arctic’s.

In terms of all-around performance, the Alba II’s win. They are a fully functional winter boot that is warm, agile, lightweight, capable, versatile. Instead of feeling like a clunky snow boot, they handle more like a hiking boot. And best of all, they are more compatible with trail crampons, gaiters, snowshoes and gas-and-brake pedals.

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To be perfectly transparent, I have always had a bias against “modern” snowshoes. Walking in the winter, especially in Northern Minnesota’s boreal forests and across frozen marshes and lakes, is practically a spiritual experience. I don’t want the experience muddied with technology.

So expect to see some mud-slinging between my traditional Ojibwe’s vs the MSR Lightning Ascents in this review.

What I Liked

Flotation on Deep, Drifty Snow

The whole purpose of snowshoes is to displace your weight on the snow, a phenomenon called “flotation”, so that you can walk on deep, fluffy snow. A snowshoe’s flotation directly correlates to the number of square inches of surface area that is contact with snow. The more surface area, the greater the float. To put this in perspective, my traditional Ojibwe snowshoes measure 9.5 inches at their widest part (approximately where the arch of my foot sits) and 49 inches from tip to tip while the MSR Lightening Ascents measure 7.5 inches at the widest part and 25 inches long.

To be perfectly anal, the traditional Ojibwe’s boast 650 square inches of surface space while the MSR Lightning Ascents squeak out 272 square inches without the extensions and 302 square inches with. Vindication! Of course the weight of the wearer plays into this equation, too, so proper sizing of the snowshoe is critical. I’m wearing a size small.

The MSR Lightning Ascents are constructed with a lightweight aluminum frame made from 7075-T6 aluminum and a urethane nylon deck. The symbioses of that enhances flotation very well. While my traditional snowshoes have more flotation than the MSR Lightning Ascent, I was impressed with their ability to keep up with the Ojibwe’s superior flotation.

For anyone who wants to increase their flotation—such as when walking on very deep fluffy snow or carrying a heavy pack, MSR offers an optional Lightning Modular Flotation Tail that adds five inches in length to the tail of the snowshoe to increase surface area and flotation.

Bomb-proof Materials

The MSR Lightning Ascents are made from 7075-T6 aluminum. 7075 refers to the type of aluminum alloy, which is a mix of high levels of magnesium and copper. It’s very corrosion-resistant and has excellent resistant to fatigue and cracking. T6 refers to the hardness of the aluminum. T6 is about as hard as you can get so it’s more stiff than flexible. Given its strength-to-weight ratio, 7075-T6 is used in aircraft and boat construction. And in the construction of snowshoes, apparently.  

Allows for a Natural Stride

Walking your natural gait in snowshoes is directly correlated to the size of the snowshoe. If your snowshoes are wide, you will walk like a duck but have better flotation. If they’re narrow you’ll kind of walk with a natural, easy stride but have less flotation.

It’s no surprise that my traditional Ojibwa snowshoes, with their long length and wider width, have always allowed me to walk my natural gait while maintaining exceptional flotation. What did surprise me with the MSR Lightning Ascents, with its shorter length and narrower width, was that I did walk with the same stride as my Ojibwa’s. What helped with this, I believe, is that the MSR Lightning Ascents is lighter in weight (2lbs, 1 ounce each vs 2lbs, 8 ounces each for my Ojibwe’s) and has a rockered frame that contributes to a more natural walking stride.

Easy-climbing on Steep Terrain

Here’s where my Ojibwe snowshoes lose the battle to the MSR Lightning Ascent. Walking up steeper hills on crusty, slippery snow will always be a challenge in the Ojibwa’s. There’s simply no way to gain traction thanks to their glossy smooth and flat underbellies. The MSR Lightning Ascent kills it every time.

Alpine-esque steel crampons at the forefoot sink teeth firmly and securely into any surface and transfers weight directly and securely from my boots to navigate steep inclines and declines. Built-in Ergo Televators, which are easy to engage with both a ski pole or hiking stick grip or your finger, raise your heel two inches to make your footing more perpendicular to the slope. On a traverse you can raise the downside Televator or you can raise both when ascending a hill.

Outstanding Traction

Yet another round of defeat for the Ojibwe’s to the MSR Lightning Ascent. The MSR Lightning Ascents have two serrated ridges on the underbelly, six inches apart. Each serrated ridge contains three small “teeth” in the center and two larger “fangs” on the ends.

On the underbelly of the frame is MSR’s 360° Traction for all-around grip. It’s essentially a continuous row of serrated edge on the lateral sides that begin at the forefoot and extends the length of the snowshoe. The underbelly of the Ojibwe’s is still glossy smooth and flat.

Easy in, Easy Out, Glove-friendly Bindings

I found so much to appreciate with the Lightning Ascent’s bindings, I don’t know where to start. The MSR Lightning Ascent is equipped with MSR’s new Paragon Bindings, an impressive and intuitive system consisting of one-piece toe box constructed of flexible freeze-proof TPU mesh with side straps that fasten to buckles at the arch of the boot.A simple belt-style heel strap that fastens into an even simpler buckle. Once I set the toe box to the width of the boot I was wearing, strapping in was literally just securing the heel strap.  

The binding platform is solid with forty-five ridges that grip the outsole of your boot’s lugs to deliver secure footing and prevent any slippage on ascents and descents. And did it ever. Ascending in my Objiwe’s meant duck-walking or digging the toe of my boots into the snow and pushing with my ski poles. Descents were always a series of skids and ski turns.

Another series of lost points for Ojibwe’s, whose leather straps succumb to freezing temperatures by becoming brittle and stiff and adjusting the straps on the fly and proper alignment of the boot in the binding is always a lottery.

I tested these snowshoes with two different boots: Sorel Joan of Arctic and LOWA Alba II GTX. Despite the Sorel’s overall girth being wider and beefier, the toebox and bindings accommodated them as well as they did the LOWA Alba’s more sleek and streamlined design. While there was strap left over, it was easily tucked into the strap keepers.

Made in the USA

MSR has been making its snowshoes in Seattle since 1995, but outsourced the binding manufacturing to China—until this year. The Paragon bindings, which are the result of three years of research, design and field testing, join the snowshoes in being made in Seattle. I love to see products like these made in the United States. It’s indicative of a company’s commitment to a higher quality product when design, testing and manufacturing are all performed under the same roof, in the same country. It ensures greater control over product quality and the environmental impacts of manufacturing processes. According to MSR, their USA-made snowshoes contribute an estimated 44 percent less CO2e emissions than those built of the exact same materials made in China.

What I didn’t Like

I always hate to leave this category blank because no piece of gear is really perfect. I can’t ding the MSR Lightning Ascents’ $320 price tag as inflated or excessive because I believe it’s well worth the value. They are solid, well-made technical snowshoes that are 100 percent manufactured in the United States.

All I can say is that when tamping down snow to make a winter campsite, the traditional Ojibwe’s work much better and cover more ground.

Final Thoughts

I have been snowshoeing for well over thir–well, let me just say I’ve been snowshoeing for a few years. My first pair of snowshoes are the same handcrafted Ojibwe snowshoes I still use today and pitted (oftentimes unfairly) to the MSR Lightning Ascent.

It was an intentional decision to bypass the modern snowshoes made from modern, cutting-edge materials in favor of the artfully-crafted traditional snowshoes made from natural materials, despite their deficiencies when it came to ascents and descents. They certainly never held me back from anything, although they did force me to improvise here and there.

But now, like a heart attack victim trudging through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I have seen the light. A light made possible by the MSR Lightning Ascent.   

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What I liked

Packability

In February I did a Nordic skiing trip to Telluride and spent most of the trip skiing in the Lizard Head Pass wilderness. Up until this year I had always worn my Sorel Joan of Arctic boots on the plane because I needed snow boots at some point at the destination. Joan of Arctic boots, while great, are not wheelie-friendly, too clunky to wear traipsing through airports and checking a bag costs money I don’t want to spend.

Living in Minneapolis at the elevation of 500 feet above sea level and then traveling to an elevation of 10,800 feet means a full day of skiing will be painfully slow, with all the frequent stops to rest, hydrate, catch a breath, puke, etc. The Pakems Cortina packboots, with their convenient stuff sack, took up very little space and weight in my pack, and were convenient to slip on for warmth.

Traction

For such slight and petite boots, the Pakems Cortina packboots have a substantial patterned tread and provide decent traction when walking on packed snow. Much better traction in the snow, than, say, my ski boots.

Water-resistance

The waterproof membrane allows you to slog through inch-deep water or slush without getting soggy feet. However, these are not your Hunter rain boots. You will get wet feet if you walk through deep puddles or wade through streams.

Fit

If you’re a half-size, Pakems advises you to order down to the next full size. I’m a 7.5-ish and went with the sizes 7 and it was the right size. They accommodate everything from thick wool socks to no socks, thanks to the bungee cord lace’s wide range of adjustability.

Warm

If Grit and Gear had a legal team they would advise me to say this: “While the Pakems Cortina packboots are lined with a delightfully soft and supple faux-shearling fleece, and easily accommodate thick wool socks, they should not replace your LOWA Montreal GTX Mid‘s (or Steger Mukluks).”

We don’t have a legal team but common sense dictates I should say it anyway. Warmth is subjective because we all have differing tolerance levels. Personally, I found them to plenty warm for what I used them for. I wasn’t slipping them on my feet after a day of skiing across Antarctica in sub-zero temperatures or strolling the outdoor Farmer’s Markets of Oymyaken. The temperatures in Colorado (and at home in Minnesota when I used them) ranged from single digits to high-teens and the time I had them on my feet was limited to a couple hours or less.

Functionality

After wearing these boots for a few months this winter, I found that they have some great urban uses, such as commuting and stashing in your car as part of your winter emergency kit. If you live in the mountains, or drive icy roads in the winter, there is always the risk of ending up in a ditch and having to walk to get help or whatever.

For commuting, they’re strangely useful. I don’t work downtown but I did have to take the train downtown once for a conference. Snow was in the forecast in the afternoon and I threw the Pakem’s into my tote bag just in case the forecast was correct. The forecast and the Pakem Cortina packboot did not disappoint. Instead of walking through filthy downtown Minneapolis snow and slush in my Dansko’s I did it in the Pakems, which were warmer, had better traction, and were basically waterproof.

What I didn’t like What they aren’t

The Pakems Cortina packboots aren’t hiking boots and Pakems is clear about that on their website: Pakems are “A lightweight, packable boot designed to take with you after sports, to sit back and be comfortable.

So I’m just going to reiterate what they aren’t: They are not designed, nor intended, to be winter hiking boots. They are pack boots (they also are not snowing boots either because I tried that and it didn’t work so great). They are for packing into your pack to be a source of comfort to your feet after a day of skiing or hiking in cold weather.

Final Thoughts

After testing a pair for six weeks this winter in a variety of venues and conditions—urban, backcountry and travel and in snow, slush and single-digit temperatures—I have to say that they lived up to their purpose: “A lightweight, packable boot designed to take with you after sports, to sit back and be comfortable.

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Poetic? Nah. Just bitter.

What I Liked

Versatility

Have you ever worn a pair of Sorel Joan of Arctic boots? If you have, you know that they’re a great boot. Their height and faux-fur trimmed tops are the shit when walking in knee-deep snow. But when driving and walking around town they’re clunky and heavy. When you wear them, there is no mistaking that you are wearing snow boots.

Snowshoe Compatible in Deep, Fluffy Snow

On their own, the LOWA Montreal GTXs feels like any LOWA boot. They are lithe, agile, stable, and comfortable for long days on the trail. In addition to the basic features that make LOWAs the best boot I have ever met, the LOWA Montreal GTX have a lovely GORE-TEX Partelana® lining that is made up of 80% polyester and 20% wool that provided much-needed insulation on all those cold-ass days (-2 degrees to upper teens) and hikes in snow. Add a pair of gaiters and snowshoes and there is no snow too deep for these boots. And yes, they are absolutely snowshoe-compatible.

Warmth

I touched on this above with the GORE-TEX Partelana® lining but I want to expand a bit more. Warm means something different for everyone. When the weather is cold, staying warm depends as much on staying dry. When you sweat, or if snow or water penetrate, the moisture stays trapped on or next to your skin, it becomes nearly impossible to stay warm. Moisture is the enemy of warmth – if your skin is wet, it’ll be more difficult to stay or get warm.

I wish I could honestly write that when my feet got wet in the LOWA Montreal GTXs they didn’t snap off in a fit of frostbite but they didn’t get wet at any time during my month-long testing period from mid-February to mid-March and they didn’t get cold. What also helped keep my feet warm? The synthetic uppers, minimal hardware and fabric lace loops.

Traction

LOWA named the outsole for this particular boot the “LOWA Winter Trac®”. In all honesty, the name means nothing to me. It’s marketing fluffery. When I evaluated the Montreal GTX’s traction, I looked for how well the outsole gripped onto snow or terrain, not necessarily if I could sprint across a sheet of ice and stop on a dime. Like all LOWA boots I’ve tested, traction is always excellent.

Consider the outsoles in the photo of the Sorel Joan of Arctic (honest-to-godess full-on winter snow boots) and the LOWA Montreal GTXs (full-on winter hiking boots). The LOWAs and the Sorels aren’t battling it out for any first place finish. I’m just giving you a perception of scale when it comes to winter walkig. Clearly, the Joan of Acrtics are made for walking in fluffy deep snow or flat terrain as they lack substantial lugs.

The Montreal GTXs have a serrated stud arrangement that works much better in resisting slips when walking on steep terrain covered with frozen snow. You know what else is awesome about the LOWAs? When I strapped on my Hillsound Trail Crampons I could (and did) spring across a sheet of ice and stopped on a dime because they are Hillsound Trail Crampon (and Kahtoola MicroSpike)-compatible. 

Outstanding Quality

They’re made in Europe (not China). LOWA is a German brand and Germans have pretty high standards for hiking boots. LOWA represents that national pride in the art of bootmaking. The Montreal GTX’s are no exception.

Fit

Runs true to size. Since it’s still a hiking boot be sure to always go a half-size up from your normal size. I wear a 7.5 shoe but a size 8 in boots.

Waterproof-ness

“GTX” is code for “Gortex”. The Montreal GTXs, therefore, are waterproof. Allow me to clarify what waterproof means in a hiking boot. Can you walk into a knee-deep lake or river and emerge on the other side with dry feet? No. But if you’re hiking in snow, slush, pouring, sheeting, pelting rain and wading through puddles your feet will stay dry.

Comfort

The LOWA Montreal GTX Mid are plenty flexible for a cold-weather hiking boot. After a day of hiking in snowshoes or on trails hard-packed with snow, kicking them off my feet when I home wasn’t Priority #1.

What Could be Better

I think this is the first time I have ever completed this section of the review for a LOWA. Normally I have nothing to complain about. Technically I still don’t have any complaints, just one itty-bitty request for future iterations of this boot: Add a little gaiter clip d-ring below the laces.

Final Thoughts

Gaiter-compatible, snowshoe-compatible, toasty warm, waterproof, comfortable, stable as the day is long with excellent traction for winter maneuvers and outstanding quality and craftsmanship. And they’re damn fine to wear about town and not the least bit clunky that they interfere with my car’s gas and brake pedals.

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