Mammut is one of the best respected brands in the world of mountaineering. The company’s heritage goes as far back as 1862 when Kaspar Tanner started his own rope-making business in Switzerland, and throughout the 19th and 20th centuries the company established their name as one of the most reliable in the industry; a tag that still lives on now.

The Mammut Ayako High GTX boot just one of the excellent products the brand are producing this year. It’s a hiking boot designed specifically for use on via ferratas, but the boot is actually a lot more versatile than that initial description may have you believe.

Via ferrata is Italian for “iron way”. In mountaineering terminology it’s a route equipped with steel cables, ladders, wooden walkways, bridges and other fixed anchors planted to help out the user. Walking via ferratas requires a few things; a head for heights is definitely one of them, and a reliable, durable pair of boots is another.

“Mammut have also placed a great deal of focus on the stability of the foot, and have installed a TPU Motion Control system designed to stop it from twisting.”

The Ayako combines memory foam with a Gore-Tex lined waterproof, breathable upper which excels in anything from quick showers to proper downpours.

Mammut have also placed a great deal of focus on the stability of the foot, and have installed a TPU Motion Control system that stops the foot from twisting and ensures the heel stays solid. The end result is an incredibly firm, comfortable grip on the foot with padding in all the right places. You won’t give it a second thought when you’re out on the mountains, unless you realise that you haven’t thought about your comfort for all the right reasons in quite some time of course! (As we did while wearing these hiking.)