A magnifique mountain shoe from approach GOATs Galibier

Having fallen (metaphorically) head over heels in love with my pair of Galibier Super Rando Low earlier this year, it came as no surprise to discover that this legendary French alpine brand is a part of the iconic Paraboot family. Founded in 1922 and designed to equip those brave mountaineers, alpinists and explorers, looking to push the limits way beyond their comfort zones, Galibier soon started making headlines. Accompanying the likes of Maurice Herzog and Lionel Terray on Annapurna, René Desmaison on the great faces, Paul-Émile Victor at the Pole and Haroun Tazieff at the crater’s edge. These pioneers weren’t exploring the world looking for glory in their Galibiers but rather to see just what humans were capable of. Now, over one hundred years on, they are just as obsessed with the ascent and still making some of the finest handcrafted footwear on the entire planet. One of their latest silhouettes is the Super Varappe Low, an updated iteration of their legendary Varappe approach shoe that’s been engineered specifically to tackle the underfoot challenges presented by the Alps and their Via Ferratas. Constructed in Romania from premium Perwanger leather upper they feature a Vibram Durastep outsole, Dyneema Ripstop tongue and a 360° rand, for immediate technical confidence, with zero compromise on comfort. Available in male and female models as well as a mid boot version, the Super Varappe are real class act with a level of alpine heritage that tells you these guys are not ones for messing around. With the fact that they look absolutely beautiful being just the cherry on the top of this high performance footwear cake.