Fit Check
For your shoes to qualify as the best trekking shoes on snow, one of the first boxes it should check is the fit. An ideal pair is neither too tight/narrow nor too loose. Your feet should be in their most relaxed, natural state. Anything less is a risk.
When you trek for days in your shoes, your feet expand. This doesn’t mean that your size 9 foot at the basecamp will swell up to a size 12 by the summit day. The small expansion is due to the constant blood flow to your legs, which demands a strategic space. So, how do you know you have the right-fitting shoes?
- Your regular dri-fit socks and woollen socks both have to fit into your shoes together at different times of the day. Neither should feel constrictive.
- Your pair doesn't run too tight up front, or is too narrow in the middle.
- When you wear your shoes for a snowy trail, your toe and the toebox of your shoes should have a quarter inch of space between them.
And most importantly, your shoes should give you a solid heel lockdown, so you don’t face any heel slippage, leading to blisters, blood clots, or an injury on the trails.
Ankle Support
Wearing any type of low-ankle shoes on a winter trek in India would mean you risk an injury. The soft, white snow conceals the irregular terrain underneath: rocks, roots, small sharp stones, fallen tree branches, and sometimes, nothing at all. A twisted ankle at 13000ft is not a pleasant experience. Avoid low-cut shoes when you trek on the snow. Always opt for mid-to-high ankle shoes with ample heel cushioning.
How do you know your shoes have good ankle support?
- You never get the classic ‘shoe bite’ blisters on the skin of your heel
- You're never rolling your ankles, and the heel feels secure and sits firmly inside your shoes
- Your shoes never come off when you go down a slippery incline
