Today on the Blogger Network we showcase an excellent technical article on lightweight winter footwear by our Gear Editor Chris Townsend
Chris Townsend needs little introduction for TGO readers – he’s been our Gear Editor since 1991, and has written countless features and reviews for the magazine and website over the years. His blog is a fantastic resource on all aspects of backpacking and hillwalking: gear, technique, trip reports, photography, and more.
Chris is gearing up for winter as the first snows settle on his local hills. In this post, he examines the controversial issue of using lightweight, flexible footwear in winter: what works, what doesn’t, some myth-busting, and the limitations of this gear in winter conditions. If you’ve only ever considered massive B2 or B3 boots in the winter mountains, there’s much interesting food for thought – and you may find your preconceptions challenged.
Hard snow and ice requires crampons and here the voices demanding heavy, stiff footwear become more vociferous. There’s still a strong belief that crampons can only be fitted safely to stiff or semi-stiff boots. It’s not true. It’s always been possible to fit walkers’ crampons to flexible boots. Often boots are given a rating that is supposed to say whether they can be fitted with crampons or not. Lightweight boots and shoes always come in the B0 category, meaning unsuitable for crampons. In fact they’re not unsuitable for crampons at all and I recommend ignoring these ratings. 
Read the full post here.