Peak Freaks Review

Some may call it an addiction but I prefer to refer to myself as a connoisseur. A shoe connoisseur.

I’m trying to pretend that I don’t have a problem. These are only my hiking boots. Click on the link below and you’ll discover the real truth 🙂

And yes, there is a headlamp in my shoes. What, is that not normal in your house?


I love shoes. We’ve chatted about this before, but I wanted to get that out of the way! You see, that’s why I feel comfortable giving you my opinion on my favorite hiking boots these days: the Columbia Peak Freaks.

We all know that I was chosen to be one of Columbia’s inaugural OmniTen, so I’m not going to pretend or hide the fact that I got these shoes for free. In fact, they gave me two pairs of them. So yes, I got hooked up! However, I am picky with my hiking boots and wouldn’t praise a pair that I didn’t believe in. I mean, all it takes is one massive blister 10 miles into the backcountry to really screw you– and your trip–over. In fact, before the Peak Freaks, I was a staunch advocate of Merrell hiking boots and would not purchase any other brand. However, when someone sends you a new pair, of course you’re going to test them out!

I first tested the Peak Freaks on our failed La Plata attempt over Memorial Weekend. While we bombed out and climbed the wrong mountain, my Peak Freaks did swimmingly. If you’ll remember, we decided to bushwhack it to the top of a random peak which led to one of the steepest hikes I have experienced in recent memory. I remember looking at Cindy and telling her that if the Peak Freaks could hang on that mess of an excursion, they were definitely worth looking at!

Just Tals, me, and my Peak Freaks 🙂

Since then, I’ve taken them on our successful summit of La Plata, as well as in and out of the Grand Canyon on our Columbia Spring Preview trip. While that doesn’t clock mucho miles in the boots, it does comprise a healthy array of testing. These boots have been everywhere from sea level to 14,337 feet and I have nary a blister or hot spot on my feet. Winning.

My favorite feature of the boots (aside from their spectacularly bright colors) is that they are ultra light, especially when compared to other hiking boots. These low-top boots clock in at 11 ounces which may make them the lightest hiking boots I have ever owned.

Even better? They don’t slip. At all. While tackling 14ers, the traction and sole of a boot is something I am very mindful of. Trail above tree line can get slippery with steep descents and grit-covered rocks. All it takes is one boot sliding out of place to make you go “boom”…and I don’t need any assistance in that category 🙂 The Peak Freaks made the descent into the Grand Canyon quite the breeze, and I didn’t have to worry about sliding around.

Lastly, the Peak Freaks have a little larger-than-normal toe box. While I know some of the other OmniTen didn’t like the boots for this exact reason, it made my heart sing. We’ve chatted in past posts about how I have bunions, and thus, I prefer wider shoes. Now, I’m not talking wide as in “order shoes in the wide sizes”, but I do prefer a little extra room. Otherwise, my bunions really start to ache and I don’t like to ache. It makes me cranky! Happily, there has been no aching–or crankiness– with the Peak Freaks. Ever after a long day of hiking and swollen feet, my toes are still comfy inside the shoes.

A lot of y’all have recently emailed me about hiking boots, suggestions, and I would totally recommend these boots. For the reals. You can thank me later 🙂