ROBDOGS MOUNTAIN BLOG: January 2014

Not often that I’m moved to write a review... I’ve recently returned home after trekking in the Torres Del Paine, Patagonia. The circular tour AKA the ‘O’ and the ‘W’ is approx 140km in length, and is usually tackled over 10 days. You encounter entertainingly unpredictable weather conditions and the terrain is varied. The right choice of boot is essential.

Websites and guidebooks have contradictory opinions on what to wear. Some advise you could do it in trainers!, others suggest a well worn in pair of B0 or B1 leather boots, I really wanted something light. I’d not bought a pair of fabric/leather boots for years so was unsure of the latest brand reliabilities reviews etc, the Salomon Quests had been out a while and received rave reviews after their initial launch, later write ups reported leaking Gore-Tex liners and delaminating sole issues, so they weren’t my first choice. However, it was getting quite near the departure date so i was getting a bit concerned about bedding in a pair of new leather boots. My back up was my trusty Scarpa Chamonix’s but i felt they were going to be just too heavy for the trail. I needed something light, waterproof, with plenty of ankle support.

From Seron to Dickinson Refeuge

Refuge Dickinson to Perros Camp lots of woody bits!

The Trail...Anticlockwise, starting the trek from Torres to Seron you're on reasonably good/dryish Pampas (Steppe). From Seron to Dickinson Refeuge you hit a waterlogged flood plain with sodden and badly maintained wooden planking. From Dickinson to Perros and the John Gardner Pass you trek through tortuous forest with tripping tree roots and washed away trails. if you’re lucky you may have a snow free ascent over the John Gardner, for us it was soft fresh snow, waist deep in places with an occasional blizzard. From there on the trail climbs and descends across ravines, scree and alpine woodland. All this time you’re likely to witness not just 4 seasons in one day, but probably every hour.

Perros camp and the John Gardner Pass, a tad snowy

The odd bit of Via Ferrata

After completing the circuit in a pair of Salomon Quests i can say they performed admirably. Yes they did get damp inside going through the swamps and snow but never ‘squelchy boot full of water’ wet, more like it was wet from foot perspiration and ingress over the top. Taking out the foot-bed they dried quite quickly and were not uncomfortable even when warn damp. The weight was a crucial factor, you need to be able tread lightly and place your feet with small corrective steps through the forests. The sole grip was positive on grass and rock wet or dry. For comparison a colleague on the trek also had a pair of Quest they also performed well so there is some confidence of QC during the manufacture process. Cleaning and examining the boots after the trek i could find no evidence of excessive wear or damage.

This is not an unequivocal endorsement of the boots, as i bought them in Nov 2013 and only used them in North Wales a few times before the trek, but i was relieved to find that they did the job under difficult conditions.

I’m not under any illusion that the Quests are indestructible and have yet to see how they continue perform over the next few seasons. Salomon offer a 2 year guarantee against a faults. With the mileage i put in I’ don’t expect them to last more than a couple of years, and they can’t be re-soled like a pair of Vibrams, but I’m converted enough at the moment to put some faith in these hybrid boots, and suffer the comfort and dexterity of lighter feet.