HOKA Kaha 2 Frost GTX Insulated Winter Mids

The Hoka Kaha 2 Frost GTX is a 200g insulated winter hiking mid boot rated down to -25F. Warm and waterproof, it’s an interesting alternative to other insulated mids for winter hiking. But when evaluating insulated hiking footwear, you need to consider your entire winter footwear system, including insulation, traction, and flotation. Chances are you’ve invested a considerable sum in gaiters, microspikes, crampons, and snowshoes…or you will..so you’re going to want footwear that can gracefully interoperate with those components. 

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• The Kaha 2 Frost GTX has a Vibram megagrip sole, 200 gram, an aluminum reflective sock liner, and Gore-tex membrane.
• A pair of men’s 10.5 US, runs slightly small and weighs 2 lbs 10 oz
• The boots are about an inch longer (13″) than 10.5M Oboz Bridger 10″ 400g boots in the same size and an inch wider (4.5″).
• The rear soles are widely flared like most Hoka’s.
• There’s a narrow front-toe kick.
• The soles are flat, although there’s a decent rocker. But there are no attachment points for gaiters, including no front gaiter ring and no protruding ridge in the back to hold down a snowshoe strap.

Insulation

The Kaha 2 Frost GTX is insulated with 200g insulation  – not the 400g insulation that the company originally listed. I’ve updated this review to reflect that change.

The 200g designation means that 200g/square meter insulation is used in the boots, not that they each have 200 grams of insulation. This is a common mistake made by the marketing folks who write product descriptions. Hoka rates these down to -25F, but that assumes you’re hiking vigorously and not standing around waiting for SAR to arrive to evacuate your buddy who’s broken a leg.

Traction

A lot has been written about Vibram megagrip and how great it is for climbing applications, but none of that is going to matter at all when hiking on snow or ice. The only thing that might matter is the lug depth when hiking on packed snow, and that is kind of ho-hum on the Kaha 2 Frost. It’s what you’d expect on a 3-season trail runner. Deeper lugs would provide more traction.

Traction Aids

If you need traction on a winter hike, you’re going to be carrying and using one or more of the following traction aids that are compatible with soft-soled footwear.

• Elastomer-anchored spikes like Kahtoola Microspikes or Hillsound Trail Crampons
• Crampons for soft-soled footwear like Kahtoola K10 or KTS crampons, Hillsound Trail Crampon Pros, or a Full Crampon with a flexible leaf spring like the Grivel G10 or Black Diamond Contact Crampons, etc.

How well does the Kaha 2 Frost GTX play with the binding systems of these various traction aids?

• Hillsound Trail Crampons: The pair I normally use (with Oboz Bridger 10″ boots) barely fit over the extra long and wide sole of the Kaha 2 Frost GTX. But more importantly, the front presses down uncomfortably on the Kaha’s toe Box. I’ve seen this before on other winter boots that don’t have beefy toe kicks that can resist the compression exerted on them by an elastomer harness. It results in toe blistering, discomfort, and cold, since the toe box is compressed, reducing blood circulation.
• Kahtoola K10 Crampon. Non-starter. The back of the binding does not fit over the rear flared heel of the Kahas. The boots also are too long for the flexible leaf spring (center bar).
• Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro. Non-Starter. The back of the binding does not fit over the rear flared heel of the Kahas, and the front does not fit either. The boots are also too long for the center bar.
• Grivel G1 Crampon: Non-Starter. The boots are also too long for the flexible leaf spring (center bar). The back binding assumes a vertical, not a flared heal, and doesn’t work.

Net. Net. The Kaha 2 Frost GTX doesn’t work with these popular traction aids. That’s a problem since I wear them over 50% of the time when hiking up and down mountains. Your mileage may vary.

Flotation

The only snowshoes I have on hand are MSR Evo Ascents with traditional 3-strap ski bindings. These tend to work with any kind of boot, including mammoth mountaineering boots and they worked surprisingly well with the Kaha’s. I still want to test them with snowshoe binding from Tubbs, MSR, and Atlas,

Assessment

I’m underwhelmed by the Hoka Kaha 2 Frost GTX winter boots. The lack of compatibility with traction aids gives me pause. The rear flared sole, which is Hoka’s signature feature, is also its most significant liability. If you can stand the toe compression caused by an elastomer harness and you have a compatible snowshoe binding, these might be suitable for winter hiking…but if you’re going to pay $280 for a pair of insulated winter hiking boots, I’d get a pair that works with any traction aid or snowshoe and give these Hokas a pass.

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