Garmont Tower 2.0 GTX in test: from City to Peak

Each person knows on his own what he likes, if he does not suffer from a social environment that chats him to death. When I set my sights on the Garmont range, I already knew exactly which models would suit me, but my choice was unconsciously the best for me. What do I mean by that? When I had to deal with the range of Garmont outdoor shoes, I first realized how little I actually knew about the individual models, I had not yet worn them. I had made a small selection and had also set my sights on the Vetta Tech GTX hiking boot, but the lacing and feel were not mine. Unknowingly, I had chosen the right model with the Tower GTX.

Comfort from entry to exit
I am a person who likes to be generous and not petty. I don't want the shoe to grip me like the fishing net does a fish that's caught in the net. And that's exactly what you experience with the Tower model. The entry is almost like a ski boot, only 100 times more comfortable. Thanks to a large toe box, you slide comfortably and unimpeded into the shoe and also come right back out again, provided you have really loosened the lacing completely. The shoe wears strong and comfortable and gives me a pleasant secure hold without having to constrict because of it. The strong sole gives stability and rolls pleasantly easy and offers grip and enormous resistance to unwanted "intruders", which it also needs in the mountains. In the process, Garmont has come up with many refinements that you would never recognize, but which explain the versatile use and high quality. The shaft is lower on the outside than on the inside, which increases comfort on traverses. The tongue is thicker on the outside edge and thins towards the inside, preventing it from slipping and increasing control and stability. The erGo-last last hugs the foot even better for an ergonomic and comfortable fit. The Double Damper means a two-piece midsole that better absorbs the shock on the heel when stepping. The generous lacing is a blast for handling. I hate lace-up shoes that require an escape artist to open the shoe, because the lacing was conceived by a reality-deprived designer who put design above any practicality and laced the shoe to death with an infinite number of eyelets and binding combinations. That's what I love about this shoe: it's strong, stable, beautiful, and is easy to put on, lace up, and take off. And every moment you wear it, you know you have strong "sensible" footwear that provides strong support, whether you're moving through downtown or jumping from rock to rock in the mountains. The one thing I wouldn't recommend: Traipsing through the city in 35 degree Celsius weather: That's when your feet start to boil.

That so much quality and comfort also have their price, is clear, this is finally no cheap sneaker with too soft sole, on which you constantly swim around on the asphalt, this has class and level and offers everything that a mountain man misses in the city and what city dwellers need in the mountains: A strong hiking and mountaineering shoe that defies cold and wet, that provides secure support in all conditions, and that offers massive comfort from the moment you put it on to the moment you take it off. That's what survivalists, outdoorsfraks, hikers and tourists alike need in the mountain world. I can highly recommend the Tower 2.0 GTX from Garmont, I wear it myself.