Deeluxe XVe

Our take On long tours and vertiginous approaches, your feet need every ounce of love they can get. That’s why our testers praised the the XVe, which has a cushy feel and a freeride flex without skimping on technical details. “When I first put this boot on, I said, ‘Dude, I could drive home in these right now,’” says one large-ankled tester who struggles with fitting into mountaineering-specific boots. The double Boa dials also make for easy adjustments between skinning and riding, and a single strap releases the rear split-cuff for an easy walk mode to extend range of motion.

The details One tester appreciated the water resistance of this boot’s minimal stitching and batted tongue after a slip during a Svalbard stream crossing left him only slightly damp.

Trail cred “The Vibram sole was really comfortable for long approach hikes in the Chilean Andes,” one tester says. “It was almost like wearing a regular hiking boot, and was great for technical rock maneuvers.”