I spent 4 days testing the Kayland Apex Trek from 9th to 12th December 2009.

The Apex Trek is a 4 season mountaineering boot with a target use range from winter hill walking to easy snow and ice routes. In practical terms this means year round UK mountain walking with an emphasis on winter hill walking, Munro bagging, classic ridges, and gullies. Outside the UK the boot will be good for summer alpine trekking including glacier travel and longer treks further afield.

The boot is officially B1 crampon compatible with means you can fit C1 crampons to it such as the Grivel G10 Newmatic. It does have a plastic heel ledge that works well with heel bails of modern crampons. The absence of a similar ledge at the toe means that Crampomatic of full step in crampons won’t work with the boots but this is a justifiable compromise in terms of weight saving and ease of use while walking.



I fitted Grivel G12’s, which is a C2 crampon, to the boots without any problems so if that’s what you have already have I wouldn’t rush out to buy a pair of C1 crampons.

If you want to know more about the various classifications of crampons and boots take a look at our Mountain Boots & Crampons Article.

The Last
On first usage I was immediately struck by the excellent fit of the upper. Of course this will vary from individual to individual but what I didn’t realise immediately is that these boots are made in Italy. I have always been a big fan of La Sportiva boots and rock shoes for that very reason and despite what ever else I’m told I still think that Italian lasts and constructions have the edge on anything else.

The Sole Unit
The sole is from Vibram who are the best and oldest mountain boot outsole manufacture in the world. Again, based in Italy, Vibram have a rubber compound which offers an excellent balance between friction and durability. What I mean by this is that the rubber is soft enough to give good friction on rocky ground but not so soft that it wares out quickly. While this might sound fairly straightforward to achieve, many competing sole manufactures have tried to emulate the Vibram compound without success.

Sole Curve and Stiffness
Unlike, full on winter climbing boots the sole has a slight curve on it which means its going to be more comfortable for walking than stiffer more technical mountaineering boots. There’s also a slight flex in the sole which again aids walking but its still easily stiff enough to take C1/C2 crampons.

Rand
There is a deep rubber rand around the front of the boots which will help a lot with durability and crucially, will also give some extra grip if you intend do any scrambling or easy rock climbs. When I say easy rock climbs I mean Diff to V.Diff.

Heel Counter
In the heel area there’s a plastic molded heel counter between the sole and the upper which adds some extra stiffness and support for your ankle. This plastic component also provided the heel ledge that allows the heel bail of crampons to fit securely to the boots.


Toe Box & Fit
The toe box is nicely rounded and deep, unlike more technical boots, which means you are more likely to get a good fit straight away. In fact I found the boots really comfortable straight out of the box. I would say the boots are pretty much standard UK sizes. I’m a UK 10 in most other boots and that's exactly what I am in the Apex Trek. That would be a 44.5 in La Sportiva or 45 in Scarpa.

Women’s Fit
The women’s version of Apex Trek has all the same features but the last has a narrower heel shape and proportionally wider forefoot to suit the typical female foot shape.


Lace Lock System
The lacing system is quite sophisticated on the Apex Trek.
The Kayland Lace Lock system is a tiny ratchet which allows you to lock the laces off meaning that they won’t loosen off while you’re trying to adjust the laces around the ankle area.

Tape Loops
Moving up the ankle, there are a couple of tape loops at the point of flex which have the effect of pulling the heel in from behind the ankle, which in turn improves the fit of the upper around the ankle and increases stability.

Ankle Lock System
Moving up again and there’s the Kayland Ankle Lock System. This is a floating strap set in a sleeve and fixed at a single point above the heel. This strap has a lace hook on either end and is able to move independently from the rest of the upper. This means you can really tighten up the ankle area of the boot for extra support and security which is going to particularly useful for using crampons or scrambling or if you have an old ankle injury that need extra support.

The benefit of the Ankle lock system is that Kayland have managed to achieve the kind of support that you would normally expect from a much heavier boot in a relatively light weight construction.

Event Liner
The inner of the boot is lined with Event which comes almost to the top of the ankle and extends up the front of the tongue. Event is a waterproof breathable membrane. While I’m not great fan of membranes in footwear I have to say that my feet did say very dry during the test period, and I did spend lots of time trudging through typical West Highland terrain which is about as wet as it gets without actually walking in a river. You will get some wicking into the lining from the mesh ankle cuff but I wasn’t wearing gaiters so that would help alleviate the problem.


I’m not saying you feet are going to stay totally dry (only wellies on a dead body can achieve that) but I found that my socks stayed at least as dry as any other boot I have used in similar circumstances - I was using Smartwool Mountaineering socks.

Conclusion
The Apex Trek is an excellent all round mountaineering boot particularly suited to typical UK winter conditions which is now available at the gobsmackly good price of £100.

The Test Days


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