Last September  we were preparing for a trip to the Stubai in Austria, the HiTec ‘Eurotrek’ boots mentioned then have given me a good year’s walking but there is now little tread left on the heels, a lace eyelet has pulled and the thin leather on the toes is disintegrating. They are still remarkably waterproof but are resigned as from now to garden duties. Not bad for 40 quid.

Looking in the shops many of the boots on offer seemed narrow so I went for HiTec again as they seem to fit. This time I’ve chosen their Altitude version with a rubberized toe cap and a hopefully better Vibram  sole – all at twice the price.

The inexpensive Peter Storm waterproof has been OK in light rain and is proving wear resistant but feels a little thin for the mountains in September. I have upgraded to a North Face version costing four times the price and twice the weight.The jury is out, I’ll report back in a year.

We are heading to Austria again, this time to Mayrhofen and into the Zillertal Alps for another week’s high level trek – Zillertal Rucksack Route (Berliner Hohenweg)

8 Mar 2013 – Zillertal Rucksack Route (Berliner Hohenweg

8 Mar 2013 – Zillertal Rucksack Route (Berliner Hohenweg

8 Mar 2013 – Zillertal Rucksack Route (Berliner Hohenweg