Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Vertex Alpine GTX

I recently got the Vertex Alpine shoes and have been wearing them on snowy trails around the mountains. I love the sleek design, the lightweight feel of the shoe yet the solid traction of the lugs, and of course, the knit collar to keep out dirt and snow. I do find the shoe a little slippery for the snow/ice (I had to wear nanospikes over the top), but I'm really looking forward to putting this to the test on all my mountain hiking objectives this summer.

Well made shoe, the traction is fantastic on multiple types of terrain and overall durability of the shoe is holding up well so far. The sole is stiff which took some getting used to but i have now come to appreciate not feeling every pebble or root as harshly on my feet. With all this in mind, I'm sitting here writing this review with some of the worst heel blisters I have ever had 2 weeks after this hike. I had worn these shoes on multiple occasions prior to taking them on a fairly intense backpacking trip with some approach sections. Within 3km of my 25km hike my heels were bleeding. I was wearing proper merino wool hiking socks and had stopped to apply moleskin. Unfortunately by day 3 of my hike I was so miserable I had to fully tape my feet to prevent them from bleeding through all of my socks. I'm now hesitant to wear these shoes again even though I wanted to like them so badly.

I purchased these recently. They are beautifully designed, however, due to the small opening I could never get my right foot into the shoe. The left foot went into the shoe with some difficulty. Note: my feet are AA (narrow). A shoe horn is a necessity, as there is no back structure to keep shoe from folding inward. So, I had to return the shoe.

I don't like the gusset at the top. I find I get more rocks in my shoe somehow than without it. I find the soles quite slippery, especially on wet or frosty wood. Purchased in October 2024 and the randing is separating from the fabric around the ball of the foot.