Mammut

Taiss Light Mid GTX Mountaineering Boot - Men's

Incredibly lightweight and comfortable

I hiked the entire wonderland trail (100miles over 7 days) early season in these bad boys. Didn’t get a single hot spot, blister, foot pain, etc even with consecutive days of water crossings/soggy socks/snow travel. Don’t remember there being any break in period either when I first got them. They were comfortable right out the gate. I am a woman with wider feet and heard these boots are on the narrower side, so I opted to buy the men’s version, and sized up. These boots are awesome, highly recommend!!

Stiff, low to ground

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

47

Stiff boot, low to the ground, heel is lower than most other mountaineering boots, weighs ~26oz size 47. I like all these features. For walking approach trails, it's not ideal due to the stiffness but that may break in over time. I think that adding an easier flex area at the forefoot would help, while still maintaining a still sole otherwise but that would make crampons less comfortable. The tongue could have fabric all the way up both sides to male the waterproofing go up higher for certain. The fit is very snug, socklike, and luckily the boot very closely conforms to my foot shape. My toes are all very nearly touching the front of the boot, but the laces lock well at the ankle lace locks. The asymmetrical toe lacing system is almost unneeded because the sock fit is so snug all the way forward--I worry that there is not enough room for thicker socks and in cold weather you may feel it. I would love something like this with a Stiff sole but with forefoot flex in a shoe version. The outer edge of the bottom of the sole is almost under the outer edge of my foot--making edging and sidehilling nice but feels like the ankle wants to roll sideways on flatter ground. I think the low stiff sole makes up for this and it is stable walking. Going downhill I started to get a little knee pain, probably due to the sole being stiffer and not broken in, little cushioning, and a flatter heel to toe drop, but may improve with time. Have worn it in 90+ degrees desert cliff/canyon hiking, with 40 lbs and my feet weren't soaked. (Paired with thin socks)

So light and easy break in

Most of my time in the mountains is on skis or rock, but I needed a general purpose, lightweight mountain boot for use on snow or easy rock, and I'm confident I've found it with this boot. They are impressively light on the feet, required very little break in before all-day comfort, and keep my feet dry in slushy snow conditions. They have enough insulation to provide some cushion for kicking steps, but they are not a warm boot, so they may not be an appropriate choice for those with cold feet looking for a 4-season boot, but as a spring/summer boot or for those with hot feet who prefer a light and fast approach to the mountains, this boot is an excellent choice.

solid boots

very comfortable and warm. bought them for mountaineering in Antarctica and they were perfect.

Very comfortable for long hikes, feet stay dry, and durable.

Great boot! Fits small in this production. Light and stiff.

My go-to boots

I have used and abused Taiss boots in many situations. These are ideal for backpacking and provide excellent support and comfort. I use the boots for 4 season hiking in the Canadian Rockies. They have always kept me warm and dry. I've been wearing Mammut hiking boots for over twenty years and thousands of miles of trails so these aren't my first pair of Taiss and probably won't be my last. The soles and toe caps aren't sturdy enough for dedicated scrambling but can hold up to bagging a summit or two when backpacking in Banff and Jasper

Extremely light and precise boot

I was looking for a lightweight boot that can be used all four seasons for rock, snow and icy terrain. The Taiss fits this bill perfectly. The boot is extremely light, I barely feel I have anything on my feet. Despite being light, it is also very stiff: there's minimal amount of flex in the forefoot that makes walking comfortable on flat terrain. The boot climbs well on rock: can fit into cracks and hold steady. The sole has enough grip on wet and muddy terrain, for everything else it takes microspikes or hybrid crampons easily. In terms of fit: I sized up a whole size vs my street shoes. Having worn it multiple times it barely required any break-in for me. There's very little heel and toe movement - I did not have any issues with toes hitting the front of the boot on steep downhill climbs. I like how the toe area is firm and sturdy and able to take lots of abuse. I've waded through small streams and the boot was waterproof probably up to about 4 inches. It is also quite warm and I had no cold spots while being out on snow and ice in negative 5-10 C temperatures (wearing thick mountaineering socks). My only slight criticism is the lacing system: the gusseted tongue slips under the cuff on the outside of the ankle and often needs to be adjusted to make a tight fit as the laces became somewhat loose, compromising ankle hold and water resistance. The factory laces seem to be a bit too thin for me and I am considering replacing them with sturdier ones at some point. Overall, I highly recommend this if you need a stiff, super lightweight boot that can be used on varied terrain and serves well as an approach shoe too.

Lightweight Mountain Boots

Very lightweight boot with crampon compatibility and excellent stiffness. Vibram soles provide good traction on rock slabs and scrambles. Excellent toe design instills confidence on alpine climbs. I usually wear an 11.5 but sized up to a 12.5 and they fit well.

Too asymmetric for my feet.

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

9

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

160

I really, really, really wanted to like this boot. They look fabulous and are incredibly light, though 3.9 oz heavier than advertised (1 lb 4.9 oz per side for a men's size 9). I purchased them to replace my mountaineering boots that weigh even more -- a full 5 ounces heavier on each side. They provide good support around the ankle, torsional stability, and have soles stiff enough for kicking steps in snow and using semi-automatic crampons. They felt fine walking around the neighborhood and the light weight did quicken my pace considerably. However, when I took them in the mountains for a steep day hike and a mountaineering scramble, there were two major problems with the fit on my feet that cannot be fixed. First, look carefully at the top view of the product photo. The shoe is VERY asymmetrical in design. While my other boots are asymmetrical too, and my crampons use the asymmetrical linking bars, these boots were just too curved inwards towards the big toe. It made for a lot of room in the big toe, which is good for me having had bunion surgery. But the curvature ended up cramming my pinkie and 4th toe into the right side of the shoe. This was super uncomfortable on downclimbs. Second, the position of the lace hooks at the top of the foot was, in my opinion, too high and forward to keep my heels held down well, and I ended up with a bad heel blister both times I used them outdoors. If these corner lace hooks had been positioned 1/4 to 1/2 inch further down and back, this would not have been a problem. I tried to "fix" these problems by changing the lacing patterns, not even using the laces down by the toe to let the shoe expand outward where my toes jammed, and double lacing around the top of the foot to keep the heels down. I kept hoping the shoe would loosen up to alleviate the toe jamming problem. But these aren't like old leather climbing boots that will eventually conform to your foot. The modern rubber and synthetic construction will only soften a little bit. I believe I purchased the correct size; the problem for me was that my foot just wasn't the same shape as the very asymmetric last of the shoe. I realized that if I purchased an even larger size, it would alleviate the toe jamming but the heel lift would get worse. I make my purchases carefully and don't like to return things, but unfortunately, this product just won't work for me.