Walsh boots

[ANDYMAG]

Walsh PB ankle boots...anyone ever wore them?

Following a severe ankle wrenching, am considering buying, but common sense tells me not to. Surely your ankle has to be flexible? Boots are for walking, aren't they?

Your thoughts please?

cheers

andy

[wheezing donkey]

Andy, bit of a long story! I was given a used pair of the old blue & yellow PB Trainer Boot and I used them for 2 winters on the Bowland Bat runs. They were very supportive, as I had a previous history of regularly 'cropping' my ankles. I then bought 2 pairs of the black and green 'Extreme' PB Trainer Boot - they were on a clearance offer at Pete Blands. Both pairs totally disintegrated in 2 years ( including a couple of gratis rebuilds via Pete Blands). I put this down to the super tough 'Extreme' material not flexing enough and thereby causing the sole to delaminate from the upper - if you think about it, your ankle is still free to flex forwards/backwards and the pressure your calf exerts on the collar of the boot has increased leverage; whereas a low shoe is cut below the ankle joint.
I see that Walsh have reverted to producing the boot models, only in the old blue & yellow materials, unfortunately no longer with a support rand around the sole to upper joint. What the life expectancy of these latest models is, I would not like to guess; but my experience of the ones that I used is that they are very secure and super comfortable to wear - particularly on a long winter run with Sealskinz socks.
On another tack altogether - they would be too heavy for racing, but ideal for winter training and long 'adventure' runs - take a look at the Jalas Control Boots at www. compasspoint-online.co.uk ; a Finnish orienteering boot with a pivoted ankle brace similar to a ski-boot and complete with 'harder' rubber studs and steel 'dobs' - ideal for wet wood and ice.