Salewa Pedroc Powertex Shoes review: speed hikers forged in the Dolomites

Founded in Munich in 1935, Salewa is a mountain brand pushing for modern, innovative design while striving for high social and environmental standards. Its 50-meter, glassy, space-age Bolzano HQ reflects both an appreciation of mountain architecture and modern aesthetics. It’s certainly an impressive sight in the south of the Italian Gateway to the Dolomites and is designed to resemble the mountains of the brand’s spiritual home. If it wasn’t for the Salewa logo, you’d assume the building belonged to the European Space Agency.

Part of the Oberalp Group – which also includes Dynafit, Pomoca, Wild Country, Evolv and LaMunt – Salewa creates clothing, footwear and accessories for mountaineers, cross country skiers, climbers, hikers, cyclists. The Pedroc Powertex Shoe is part of its hiking range, specifically designed for speed hikers.

The Pedroc range was launched in summer 2023 and the Powertex Shoe sits between the lighter Pedroc Air hiking shoe and the rugged, high cut Pedroc Pro Powertex Mid hiking boot. Salewa design director Thomas Moe said that the line combines ‘the technical aspects of mountain sports products with the more lightweight, athletic fitness-orientated elements.’ So, in other words, mountain footwear with hints of a trail running shoe. All footwear in the Pedroc range is labelled Salewa Committed, which means it meets the brand’s criteria for environmental and social sustainability.

First impressions

Salewa state that the Pedroc ‘delivers the goods both in mixed mountain and urban scenarios’ and I get where they’re coming from. I shunned my usual trainers for these smart looking, modern and comfortable shoes and wore them around town for weeks. They’re definitely the sort of mountain shoes you could wear in the pub or the bar after a long day on the hill. The upper is nicely, but not overly, cushioned – the gusseted tongue feels particularly lovely against the foot. Meanwhile, below decks, the outsole is pretty rugged, with a bit of flex in the midfoot but plenty of rigidity towards the heel – ideal for technical mountain terrain. The reinforced toe and wrap-around rand promise protection from abrasion and durability.

In short, they immediately felt both stylish and capable, an impression bolstered by the ENGINEERED IN THE DOLOMITES text running across the rand. It’s slightly heavier and more protective than the popular Salewa Dropline Shoes, which our contributor Berne Broudy rated highly back in summer 2021. Meanwhile, it's less protective than the Salewa Mountain Trainer 2 Gore-Tex Boot – recently reviewed by Jessie Leong – which is more suitable if you're a scrambler or climber looking for a highly protective pair for technical terrain.

Meet the reviewer

Alex Foxfield

Qualified Mountain Leader and former President of the London Mountaineering Club, Alex is happiest in the high places. His favorite approach to the mountains, especially during the warmer months, is to go fast and light. He's an expert when it comes to hiking footwear.

Features

First things first, there are no third-party waterproof membranes or outsoles at play here – so no Gore-Tex and no Vibram. Where the outsole is concerned, this is unsurprising considering one of Salewa’s sister brands is Pomoca, a Swiss manufacturer of ski touring skins and rubber outsoles.

The specific outsole in question here is the Pomoca Speed Hiker Pro, which is designed to perform on mud, grass and rock. Meaty, evenly spaced, deep hexagonal lugs claw at boggy terrain, while their flat surfaces provide hold on rock. There’s no approach shoe style flat climbing zones at the toes or heel, but the sole is rigid and protective enough to cope well on steep, rocky terrain. Similarly, the standard lacing system doesn’t reach all the way to the toes and isn’t as precise as footwear designed for climbing as well as hiking.

Though Salewa puts Gore-Tex to use in its Dropline hiking shoes and Mountain Trainer approach shoes and boots, it's used its proprietary Powertex (PTX) membrane for the Pedrocs. This PFC-free, breathable and waterproof lining protects the foot from water ingress, while the wrap-around TPU rand also guards against abrasion. In general, the upper feels more robust than many synthetic hiking shoes, with its high resistance ripstop PE mesh.

All Salewa’s alpine hiking footwear features its 3F system, which connects the sole and heel to the instep area, providing enhanced flexibility and support on technical terrain. A web of Kevlar cables, sitting between the outer PE and the waterproof membrane, are used to enhance the structure, durability and performance of the upper. You can see this structure beneath the breathable mesh panel on the lateral side of the foot. The upper is treated with Cleansport NXT to provide odor-resistance.

As mentioned, the Pedroc is nicely cushioned, especially in high wear areas around the tongue and ankle. The tongue is also gusseted to stop trail debris breaching the inner sanctum of the shoe – always a welcome touch. EVA in the midsole gives further cushioning with each stride, providing rebound and comfort for extended wear.

The shoe comes with Salewa’s Multi-Fit Footbed (MFF+), which gives the wearer two insole options for either a narrow fit or a medium fit.

On the trails

I've been wearing the Pedrocs more than I reasonably should have, mainly because they're so comfortable. The level of cushioning is just right – not too much that I lost sense of my feet on the trail but just enough that they felt welcome. When I put on some hiking shoes, I get the impression the manufacturer has been to focused on what the shoe has to cope with on the outside, to the point where what's inside, the foot, gets a raw deal. Not so, with the Pedrocs.

For me, they hit much sought after sweet spot between comfort, weight and protection. I never felt restricted wearing them, rather I felt free – in the same way that wearing trail running shoes feels so liberating in the hills.

Of course, if you're a trail/fell/sky/mountain runner (or any other term that's been coined for those of us who like to run in the mountains) they're not a substitute for a dedicated running shoe. However, for speed hikers, they provide a lot more protection from both the elements and the terrain than a pair of trail shoes. As someone who often enjoys speeding things up on runnable mountain ground, they're ideal.

I wore the Pedrocs on long hikes in the UK's Peak District and Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Parks, as well as on numerous more casual walks closer to home. Eager to put the Powertex membrane to the test, I sought out water underfoot wherever I could and was very impressed with the shoe's waterproof qualities. It was only when braving ankle deep bogs that the Pedrocs were out of their comfort zone, as water snuck in over the top, taking advantage of their low cut. If this sounds like the kind of ground you often explore, either opt for the mid-cut boot version or pair them with gaiters.

As mentioned, there's a decent level of protection here from the TPU rand – not as much as some but enough for general mountainous terrain. If you're looking for a scrambling shoe, these cope well on easier ground but approach shoes will provide better grip on edges, a more fine-tuned fit and lacing for precise footwork and are usually more protective, allowing you to jam them into cracks with glee.

However, for carefree mountain hiking with the occasional technical section, these are great. I can well imagine them being the ideal shoe for hut-to-hut alpine trekking thanks to their stability and strong all-round performance. This is exemplified by the Pomoca Speed Hiker Pro outsole, which manages a range of surfaces well, from waterlogged grassy terrain and gloopy mud to rocky trails and dry slabs. There was the occasional little hiccup on wet slabs – though, to be honest, I'm yet to find a hiking shoe that gives me total confidence on slick rock.