I put Columbia’s $130 hiking boots through their paces in Norway — here’s what happened to my feet

The Columbia Newton Alpines are hiking boots suffering an identity crisis. Columbia doesn’t know what it wants them to be. Or perhaps more accurately, it wants you to think these boots can do everything when, in fact, they can’t.

Jerry-rigged by Columbia’s marketing into the role of hybrid boots for the street and light hikes, and with refreshed colorways for the brand’s S/S26 collection, the Newton Alpines initially appear as lightweight all-rounders for temperate conditions. In reality, they’re specced like cold-weather mid-terrain hiking boots. They’re well insulated, supportive, and very grippy.

For the street, they most certainly ain’t — a lack of breathability makes these extremely hot boots. And there are some general issues, too, namely with the comfort and padding in certain areas.

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In short, if you want a set of comfy, breathable boots for the street and light hikes, look elsewhere. If you want a reasonably priced set of good-looking boots for cold weather and medium trails, these boots are fine, although I’d recommend looking closely at rivals before you buy. Find out more in my full Columbia Newton Alpine review.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Specs

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Price & availability

The Columbia Newton Alpines cost $130 / £125 at Amazon or Columbia. This is a fairly attractive price, undercutting other hybrid trail/street boots like the Merrell Moab Speed 2 ($150). Size-wise, the Alpines are available in men’s sizes 7-15 (U.S.) / 6-14 (U.K.); and women’s sizes 5-12 (U.S.) / 3-10 (U.K.), with some half sizes available.

Men can choose between light sand/orange (tested), dark brown/teal, yellow sand/black (like a classic Timberland boot), and all black. In the U.K., where I live, only the light sand/orange and yellow sand/black colorways are available, which is a shame (as a former 00s emo kid, I always gravitate towards a black option). In women’s, there are only two colors available in both the U.S. and U.K. markets — that’s light gray or tan brown.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Design & construction

There’s no getting around it, the Newton Alpine are incredibly fetching boots. I tested the sandy brown colorway, with orange and black accents, and they’re gorgeous. If you know anything about Columbia, that won’t be a surprise. In the corpcore-loving, mid-20s zeitgeist, Columbia is a trendy label, and is arguably as much a fashion brand as an outdoors one.

As such, just like the Merrell Moab Speed 2 I tested a few months back (and which are now my daily drivers), the Newton Alpines are marketed with the street very much in mind — “move in style from the town to the trail in these boots,” says Columbia.

Construction

Unlike the Moab Speed 2, I wouldn’t actually want to wear the Newton Alpines on the street (in spring/summer at least). While the Merrell fabric variant is clad in super breathable Gore-Tex, the Columbias use a mostly suede upper, which, as I’ll cover later on, is warm. Columbia says the Alpines are breathable, but trust me: barely. When looking at my boot rack for something to wear on the street or for a light hike, I’m choosing either the Merrells or my On Cloudrocks.

Still, the suede is lovely to look at and lends a premium feel. Riveted into the Alpines’ cow skin uppers are metal lace buckles, with three pairs of metal speed hooks around the ankle. I’ve seen user reviews complaining about some of the lace loops breaking off, but I haven’t experienced that with my pair after over 100 miles of intensive use.

The upper ankle outer is made from synthetic material, and there’s a loop on the back for pulling the boots on/off or hanging them, which is always handy. In testing, though, I missed the versatility of my Keen Revel IV Polars and their three fastening points — these make it easier to secure the boots fully to a backpack and stop them dangling around.

Now for some typical bootmaker jargon (we see this from most brands). The Newton Alpine mid-sole is made using Columbia’s ‘TechLite’ cushioning. I’m not really sure what the hell TechLite is, and Columbia’s site doesn’t explain it, but it’s hella springy. The outer sole is made from ‘Omni-Max’ material, with ‘Omni-Grip’ technology. Most probable translation: rubber sole with multi-directional lugs.

Overall, while they don’t feel super flimsy, these boots certainly don’t feel built to last the decades. The padding feels a little thin (more on this below), and the midsole has started to pull away slightly from the upper on both my boots — in fairness, symptomatic of me pulling the boots off at the ankle with the other foot — although this hasn’t affected waterproofing. The seams of the pull-on tags also made a ripping noise when I pulled the boots on.

If you want mid/technical terrain insulated boots that are built to last, I’d recommend the Revel IVs.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Break-in & comfort

The Newton Alpines are fairly true to size in my experience — I’m a U.K. size 10, and the Newton Alpine size 10s fit me nicely. They don’t have a very wide toe box, so if you have wide feet, I’d recommend a pair of Keen’s Original Fit boots (Keen Targhee IV or Revel IV) with their capacious toe boxes.

If you have medium-wide feet like me, you’ll probably be OK with the Columbias. Their tight-ish fit is partly due to the padding in the toe area, which eased after just a couple of miles. From there on, the fit was snug, but not overly tight (except around the inner foot, which I’ll cover below), and I was able to wear thick socks without issues — something I can’t say for the Merrell Moab Speed 2s.

Unfortunately, some of the seams around the ankle and the tongue bellows chafe after around 4-6 hours of use. I hoped these areas would soften up after around 50 miles, but after over 100 miles (probably around 120 miles) now, that hasn’t happened. Longer term, however, I’m fairly confident both will resolve as the suede and stitching soften more.

Comfort

The Newton Alpines are super bouncy, thanks to that ‘TechLite’ cushioning in the mid-sole. Initially, it felt like I had springs in my shoes. Inset deflection domes also help disperse impacts. This makes them ideal for sole and heel comfort on walks. I’m a former plantar fasciitis sufferer, and would recommend trying these boots out if you have the condition.

Admittedly, I found the Newton Alpines a little restrictive around the inner foot area, just above the arch. I have a small sebaceous cyst there, which no boot has ever bothered, narrow profile or otherwise — but the Alpines rubbed, leaving the bump sore and blistered. This probably comes down to individual foot anatomy, in fairness.

Unfortunately, the upper’s internal padding is a little thin around the top dorsal and ankle areas, meaning you can actually feel the inner rivets of the lace hooks and speed hooks. I could feel the rivets rubbing my ankle as soon as I put the boots on, while the dorsal rivets became uncomfortable after around six hours of wear. There should be more padding between the rivets and the interior lining.

For short hikes, I had no issues, and thicker socks could mostly muffle the rivets digging into my ankle. After six hours, though, I was uncomfortable. After a particularly long 10-11 hour stint, I was desperate to get the boots off (although I could probably say the same about most shoes).

Warmth & breathability

The Alpines are very well insulated overall, but far from breathable. In fact, they’re downright hot. On light trails and the street in spring/summer weather, my feet became incredibly sweaty, and after around an hour, my socks were drenched — the boots squelched as I walked. I haven’t had this problem with my Merrell Moab Speed 2 (leather shell variant) or Keen Revel IV Polar, and it’s enough to put me off the Columbias altogether in warmer months.

The upside, of course, is that in colder conditions the Alpines are fantastic. In Norway, during testing, temperatures dropped to 25F / -4C. As a deliberate test, I stood in a frigidly cold mountain lake (trust me, I jumped in the same lake as part of the authentic Norwegian sauna experience, and it was deathly cold) for nearly five minutes and didn’t feel the cold at all. On hikes, I waded through icy mountain rivers and walked through several inches of snow up a mountain. No bother. Still, other boots like the Revel IV and Moab Speed 2 (leather shell) manage to be warm and breathable.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Performance

The Newton Alpines are grippy, supportive, flexible, and waterproof, making them ideal for medium rugged terrain, even in cold, wet weather.

I tested the boots for over 100 miles across a variety of terrain and weather types. I started with street use and light hiking in the U.K. under sunny spring weather conditions. I then tested them with two weeks of mixed use during an unusually cold spring in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. This consisted of street use, light trails, mountainous terrain, and more technical rocky trails. The weather was particularly challenging during hiking tests in Norway, ranging from dry and sunny to heavy rain, ice, snowstorms, and several inches of ground snow. The temperature in the Norwegian fjords dropped as low as 25F / -4C.

Grip

The Alpines use Columbia’s proprietary ‘Omni-Grip’ multi-directional lug pattern, which works very effectively. I experienced no slippage over dry terrain — even over rocky, uneven surfaces. I was also impressed by the levels of grip on trickier terrain in wet and icy conditions, where I was able to stay steady over slippery rocks. I even waded through a mountain river over mossy rocks with no issues.

On hikes, I found the grip levels even better than the Vibram sole on the Merrell Moab Speed 2, and comparable to my Keen Revel IV Polar.

The sole had issues over very smooth terrain — perfectly smooth or polished rock, such as paving slabs in the rain, for example — and on slick surfaces (I walked over a patch of spilled gasoline at one point). This was mostly an issue on the street, though, and not hikes. On the street, I prefer the Merrells and their Vibram soles.

Support

As I alluded to above, the only instances where my feet slipped on hikes were in areas of virtually zero traction, when descending a mountain through sleet and melting snow. Thankfully, the Newton Alpines are very supportive thanks to their high design, reinforcement around the ankle and heel, and triple speed hooks. I’d have rolled my ankle a few times were it not for the boots.

Columbia doesn’t specify any details about the shank, but I experienced no arch issues or straining, even across tricky terrain.

Flex

Thanks to the soft suede upper and super spongy sole, the Newton Alpines offer lots of flex, comparable to lightweight boots like the Moab Speed 2s and Keen Hightrail Mids. This came in handy when scrambling up rockier sections on mountain hikes, allowing me to find grip and push off from my toes.

There’s a lot more flex than with harder shelled boots like the Keen Revel IVs, although comparable insulation and warmth — this makes the Columbias a great middle ground if you want the warmth of a winter boot but the flexible performance of a summer boot.

Waterproofing

The Newton Alpines are fully waterproofed using Columbia’s proprietary ‘OmniTech’ waterproofing treatment. In addition, each boot’s tongue features bellows to stop water ingress up to your lower ankle.

As I mentioned earlier, I stood ankle-high in a Norwegian lake for five minutes with no leaks whatsoever. I’d have liked the tongue bellows to be a little higher, though, as on a couple of occasions water from streams and snow made it through the gaps at the top — something I wouldn’t experience with my Revel IVs, which have higher bellows.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Maintenance

Columbia recommends cleaning its boots as soon as possible, rather than allowing dirt to dry and then brushing it off. This prevents acids and alkalines in the dirt from corroding the waterproof membrane or other construction elements. Obviously, this isn’t always possible immediately, but just remember to brush off dirt using a suede brush as soon as you can and then wipe down with a damp cloth.

Thanks to the waterproof coating, the boots’ exterior didn’t absorb any water, so they didn’t need to dry at all unless water got inside. Periodically, you’ll want to check whether water beads on the boot surface. If not, and it’s seeping into the suede, you can reapply waterproofing using an aftermarket spray.

When wet internally, I found the Newton Alpines extremely quick to dry. Primarily, this was because the boots got so hot that any water inside quickly evaporated out of the top. At one point in testing, the boots looked like power station cooling chimneys, with steam pouring out the top. Every cloud, I guess.

Columbia Newton Alpine review: Verdict

As I mentioned up top, it’s clear these boots were never designed to be what Columbia is saying they are. These are cold-weather, mid-terrain hiking boots with all the core performance features you’d want in such a set of shoes. Aside from their looks and bouncy soles, they aren’t well-suited as warm-weather street / light trail hybrids.

When in their element, up a mountain in the cold, the Newton Alpines are respectable performers for the money — decent grip, strong support, and good insulation. They’re held back from one of our highest scores by the comfort and padding issues, plus a total lack of breathability. However, when push came to shove and the mercury dropped, I was glad I had these boots on my feet.