Salewa Wildire Edge Mid GTX
Best fit
Our take When the trail is sloppy, we’ll take any advantage we can get. The Wildfire Edge provides one with a neat design: An integrated lacing system wraps a Dyneema cord around the heel and throughout the upper, allowing hikers to customize footbox compression. Cinch the cord to pull the toe forward for a precise fit and increased ground feel, and loosen it to relax the toe box for normal walking. “I felt like a Ninja Warrior contestant in this shoe, which was great for control while hiking fast on slushy and slick terrain,” one tester says.
The details The Gore-Tex liner and 2-inch-tall gaiter kept snow and muck out, but come with a tradeoff: “Pulling these shoes on wasn’t easy,” said one tester after a trek up Alaska’s Mt. Troy. The rubber Pomoca outsole with diamond-shape lugs gripped well in wintry conditions when one tester ran down the Eaglecrest Ski Area in Juneau. Fit note: The toe box is narrow.
Trail cred “I’m a year-round runner and hiker. I spent nearly three weeks in this boot—all in snow and slush—and I never once experienced wet feet,” our Alaska tester reports.
m’s 7-13, w’s 6-11