Review for Snowshoe Magazine: Columbia Bugatech Lite Omni-Heat Boots

Trail: Edison Long Loop (east side of Mt Bachelor in Oregon) with off trail excursions

Not a bad boot but not a great boot, even for the price.   My tried and true uninsulated hiking boots just don’t cut it breaking  trail in deep snow on a cold moonlight hike to the windy tops of the local peaks here in the East Cascade Mountains of Central Oregon.  I approached these boots with a great wish that I’d have nice warm tootsies during these nighttime escapades.  Kind of hard to hang out in the solitude of a moonlit peak with your sweetie and his very special enhanced hot chocolate when your feet are cold.  Unfortunately, due to a couple of missing features and fit issues, I can only give these boots a “so-so” rating for snowshoeing even though my feet would be warm.

Let me start with aesthetics because our initial impression out of the box is important to the consumer experience.  White boots always seems a little “girly” to me, but it is a nice change from black.  The exterior is some kind of fabric which may not be compatible with periodic slopping through cinder-stained snow in parking lots but, except for a short stretch mid-foot, the rubber and plastic guards would probably prevent some staining and are certainly good for actually banging around in the woods.  There are black marks already from one snowshoe outing.  Happily, the boots turned out burlier than they look.