Xero Shoes Alpine – Snow Boot

Detailed Review

The Xero Alpine Snow Boot is insulated and waterproof, offering flexibility and zero-drop features barefoot, and minimalist walkers will enjoy. It provides enough protection from the harsh winter elements but is still light enough to give you an adequate ground feel. This is made for winter, whether you’re walking in the city or hiking with traction devices.

Materials

The Xero Shoes Alpine Snow Boot is made of 100% vegan-friendly materials. The company believes in an ‘Environmentally Intelligent’ design, which is why they do their best to use vegan and renewable materials with their shoes, whenever possible. While Xero Shoes’ main goal is to promote the benefits of our feet’ natural movement, they do their best to use vegan-friendly products.

Like other Xero shoe models, the Alpine Snow Boots have a 5.5mm FeelTrue rubber sole with a bigger chevron pattern. This adds to its traction and grip. While the boots can grip well over snowy surfaces, reviewers say they can’t handle slick and icy conditions very well. But take note that what does grip on ice are only soles with spikes and studs. You can use traction devices on your feet if you plan to walk or hike on icy surfaces.

The Alpine Snow Boots are made with a seam-sealed inner and water-resistant membrane if you’re worried about the snow and moisture. It is waterproof, so no snow, water, or moisture will come in unless water goes over your ankle. You can walk in slushy and splashy conditions, and the boots still keep your feet dry.

Zero-Drop

The Alpine Snow Boot has a zero-drop feature, meaning that it is non-elevated from the toe to the heel. Furthermore, the boots have a flexible outsole. It’s bendier than other winter boots but only touches the bare minimum of being a minimalist barefoot boot. The boot’s forefoot would only bend slightly, which veteran barefoot walkers won’t be impressed with.

That said, people just beginning their barefoot walking journey may still appreciate the boots and find enough ground feel and experience more natural movement compared to traditional shoes.

Style

You can find the Alpine Snow Boot in four different colorways, depending on your preference. You can choose between gray, green with brown lining, all black, and black with white lining.

As the name suggests, the footwear was inspired by Alpine design snow boots, purpose-built made for the winter. It has a puffy material looking like a snowsuit. These boots are best for minor hikes or walking on trails or grasses, but their style isn’t best suited for around-town outfits. The boot design can work with pants or weather clothing, but not too much with skirts and dresses.

Fit and Sizing

In the true style of most Xero shoe models, the Alpine Snow Boot has a Huarache-inspired strap design. This helps with the shoe’s fit. 

As for its sizing, Xero shoes recommend that you order about half a size up. A few Alpine snow boots reviews have recommended getting one size up if you have wider feet so that you can wear thicker or double socks during frigid weather. 

Also, it is best to get the Alpine Snow Boot for men if you have wider feet and the women’s version for narrower feet. These shoes have a lot of room inside and are generously sized so that you won’t experience tightness or discomfort. 

How It Feels

When reviewers tested the Alpine Snow Boot straight out of the box, the boots’ soles don’t bend a lot, specifically in the area where the toes bend naturally. This won’t change over time, though its uppers will soften. 

Reviewers have noticed that the upper part of the boots, which fold over the toes, feel tough and like it’s pushed in when they first tried the boots on. However, the hardness lessened and the upper felt more comfortable after a few walks and hikes with the boots. Apart from the tough upper, there aren’t uncomfortable areas that may hurt the skin.

The Alpine Snow Boot offers 200g polyester insulation rated up to -25 / -32 degrees C in terms of warmth. It also has a heat-reflective insole, keeping feet warm when the weather hits -9 degrees C.

Is the Xero Alpine a Good Minimalist Winter Boot?

Overall, the Xero Shoes Alpine Snow Boot is one of the best minimalist winter boots available for extreme cold. These boots offer superior temperature regulation and waterproof features to keep your feet warm and dry during cold snow days.  It does have a significant disadvantage because of its lack of flexibility, though take note that it’s challenging to strike a balance between foot protection and a minimalist feel during the cold winter season. 

With all the features mentioned, the boots are enough for newbie barefoot walkers to enjoy and those who need extreme cold protection and still want to keep a minimalist way of life.

Admittedly, it’s challenging to design winter boots to be 100% barefoot when dealing with the extreme cold. However, Xero does its best to keep the Alpine snow boots as minimalist as possible. The company balances foot health with warmth and protection with the Alpine Snow Boot. This balance makes the boots a good choice if you’d like something protective but encouraging enough natural movement during the winter season.