Best for: All-season tramping and alpine use with crampons

Plusses: Reasonably light for its class, very well fitting, excellent with crampons
Minuses: Expensive

1588g

Features: The Ticam Evo combines suede leather uppers with a breathable synthetic cuff and a Gore-Tex membrane for waterproofness. The lacing has smooth roller eyelets and an I-Lock eyelet to separate lacing tension into two zones.

An X-Lacing stud holds the tongue in place horizontally and vertically. Along with a PU midsole, the boot has a full-length 5mm nylon shank for torsional support and stiffness and a heel notch, making it compatible with semi-automatic crampons. Vibram Alp Trac Numen soles are a mountaineering compound and the boots are designed to be resoleable.

Fit and comfort: This boot is true to size and made in both regular and wide models. The wide fitted me very well, and the boot laced snugly with no loose areas. The Flexfit cuff is tall for side-to-side ankle stability but forgiving front and aft for uphill walking, and even on the first use I had no issues with hot spots. This boot is oriented towards above-bushline use, so it’s quite stiff, but there is enough flex in the forefoot for comfortable walking and the boot is recommended for use with heavy (20kg+) loads. A high-quality inner sole is included.

Durability: The boots are beautifully made using seamless leather in high-wear areas and hard-wearing synthetics elsewhere. There is a protective three-quarter rand and they’re easily resoleable. 5/5

In use: The deluxe lacing system combined with a closely form-fitting upper provides a reassuring feel over a wide range of terrain and enables the boots to feel lighter on the feet than they really are. They edge very securely on fine scree, snow slopes and steep vegetation due to torsional rigidity from the nylon shank, but the stiffness also gives a less sensitive feel when boulder hopping, which took some getting used to.

Value: The Ticam Evo is at the top end of the price range for this class of boot.

Verdict: This is a boot that’s at home above the bushline in all seasons but has the comfort and durability to get you there with a bush approach.