ASOLO
PW.MATIC 200 GV 6

AHSZ-LOW!
BRING ON THE MUD!

Mud season is almost upon us, and with it comes the need for diehard, waterproof, rugged footwear. This year Asolo (and yeah, pronouce that "Ahh-SZLow") steps up to the plate with the latest incarnation of their full-grain leather boot, the P.Matic GV 6. Don't ask me what marketing secrets lie behind the mumbo-jumbo name, but trust me, these boots deliver the goods.

IN THE OTHER CORNER...

I've always been hard on clothes, and footwear takes an extra helping of abuse when it ends up at the end of my legs. Most lesser shoes last me less than 4 months, so while I've had to make do with cheaper hiking boots before, I've also had to shop for them more often. After mangling a mid-priced set of Hi-Tecs this fall, I bit the bullet and paid the big bucks for a pair of these bad boys. I've owned several pairs of Asolo boots in the past, and knew them to be dependable, long-wearing, and comfortable shoes. No other brand of footwear fits so sweetly right out of the box without sacrificing the sturdiness needed to lug a heavy load into the backcountry or survive the rigors of a hard day's work filling the woodshack. But they've never been exactly...fashionable. Utilitarian: yes, durable: you bet; but great-looking: at best, an ambivalent "Enh".

Not anymore.

The GV 6's bring style to the upper crust of hiking footwear. These aren't boots you would be embarassed to wear to town, so as the slop creeps northward you won't have to choose between hurting your feet or your pride. Slap these puppies on and walk proud.

It won't help to look great if the goods aren't there, but these boots have the right stuff for handling just what I plan to put them through: slush, snow, mud, rock, and anything else the North Country delivers. First off, of course, the soles sing this bright yellow ditty:

so you can expect them to grip well in anything short of crampon-hard ice. The pattern isn't the venerable lug-sole of the past, partly because the old lug pattern was tough on trails (go figure!) and partly because it tended to track in a lot of the outdoors, messing up rugs and floors. This pattern supposedly offers equivalent traction with better 'self-cleaning' so you shouldn't leave as much mess behind you anymore.

Secondly, this little tag indicates that the boot is lined with W.L. Gore's waterproof, breathable fabric and meets their standards. That is quite a claim: it takes more than throwing some Gore-Tex into a boot to get their seal; the manufacturing process must ensure the end product's performance. If stitches run amok and compromise the waterproof barrier, the boots will leak and W.L. Gore's reputation would suffer, so they don't let the name get stuck just anywhere. These boots are waterproof. As for breathability: frankly, no boot breathes well and keeps water out. It's more a matter of environment than material that causes this: boots are at ground level, the most damp, coldest part of the environment. There isn't much a boot can do to offset the conditions it sits in, so don't expect incredibly well-ventilated feet from any full-grain leather boot (or any boot that is truly waterproof). The GV 6 is about as breathable as can be expected from a full-grain leather shoe however, so in its class it handles the job well.

I tested these boots out in conditions ranging from below zero temperatures to damp and rainy mid-40s weather. Bushwhacking through ankle-deep snow wasn't a problem. Whether it was fluffy cold powder or saturated slop, my feet stayed dry and comfortable, and nothing put a dent in the sturdy leather of the boots. On steep, icy slopes, I had better traction than other shoes, though I think the old lug style Vibram tread were the best pattern for gripping on slick hillsides. I tested the 'mud-tracking' characteristics of the new sole, and found that they do indeed bring less of the outdoors inside, but they don't eliminate the tell-tale signs of mud season. You will still want to take these puppies off before traipsing across a fancy floor.

After tramping around in the grime and slush, these boots are also easy to clean. They've had a dirt-resistant finish applied to the outside, so a quick wipe with a washcloth takes care of most dirt. If you end up deep in the filth along the way (plodding through one of those infamous black-slime pits lurking in the High Peaks trails, for instance) you can just hose the boot down.

The Asolo PW.Matic GV 6 isn't a bargain shoe, at over $200 a pair retail it is in fact one of the more expensive medium-to-heavy duty shoes on the market. It also happens to be the best of the bunch. Comfortable fit right out of the box, great looks, and solid performance make this a no-worries shoe for all but the deepest of your mud-season travels.