Forclaz 500 Ventiv - Hiking Shoes

“When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and
hats and clothes you have worn out.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I sit here, trying to write a review worthy to gain appreciation of the panel of expert judges
and fellow members, I cannot help but remember these lines by Ralph W. Emerson. For all the
things one owns in life, the kind of shoe you own says a lot about you. The more you think about
it, the more it makes sense.

Personally I am very particular about my shoe due to the fact that climbing the mountains and
offloading to remote high altitude regions in Himalayas has always been my passion. I realized
(the hard way) that going places in such terrain requires a special shoe for hiking and a bit of a
special sole? as well. I neglected this aspect when I did my first high altitude trek to Minkiani-
Indrahar Pass in Himachal Pradesh. Back then I was reckless and could care less by doing this
trek on a sport shoe (yes shocking). By the fourth day of the trek when I was to push for
Minkiani pass from Kerari lake base camp, I realized what a fool I was. Not only did I have to
abandon my ascent to Minkiani pass (at 4200 meters), I had excruciating pain due to blisters and
a swollen toe due to lack of protection and water proofing. One bad choice led to a not so
memorable experience for a place which was incredibly gorgeous. Learning from the experience,
I moved to more trusted brands like Woodland and Hi-tech hiking boots. I grinded them good in
my later treks to Roopkund, Harkidoon, Rohtang la to name few. However, I had a consistent
complaint with both the brands. I was less than happy with their lack of good water proofing
option and secondly both were giving me blisters when I had a hard descent to make. Tired I
went to online forums at "indiamike’ and spoke with fellow expert trekkers for a hiking shoe that
would serve my purpose. It was there I heard of Quechua products. I did further research and
found many people were swearing on Forclaz 500 Ventiv series shoe. I visited one of the Planet-
Sports showroom in Delhi and tried out the shoe to evaluate its worth. I was pleasantly surprised
with its ultra light weight and flexibility and of its “Essensole” technology. What impressed me
further was that I was getting the comfort of a good sports shoe and all the benefits of a good
trekking shoe. Although I could not test it for its water-proofing and durability, I was convinced
that I had found the shoe I had been looking for all this time. I had looked up for an online price
quotation of Forclaz 500 shoe on Decathlon website and found that this shoe was available for a
discounted rate of Rs. 2499 on “LifeMojo” (Decathlon premium reseller). I made the decision of
buying it online and avail of the Rs 1000 discount which was a steal. I also ended up buying two
pair of Forclaz 200 socks (which I will highly recommend as a must buy).

Now comes the part where I had to test the shoe to see whether it walks the talk. The immediate

opportunity came when I planned a trip to Kinnaur district of Himachal for a “Kinner Kailash
Parikrama” going through “Charang Ghati” pass. I must say I was blown away with the response
I got from my pair of Forclaz 500.

1. The water-proofing on this one was excellent. We had to cross our way over Baspa River and
trust me they did not give me the dampness I always feared. Even in places like “Chitkul” and
Sangla where we encountered 2 – 3 foot snow, the shoe held its own,although I had the shoes
wrapped with waterproof fabric up to my knees when I was in snow. I was carrying an
additional pair of Woodland and to my surprise I did not use it at all.

2. When we were descending hard from Charang Ghati pass summit to Chitkul, the shoe held
well on its own and gave me the grip and support I was looking for. This was the vindication that
Forclaz 500 are best suited to provide maximum comfort when doing those dangerous descents
which kills your feet like hell.

And so my friends I would like to conclude that in my opinion Forclaz 500 is the best Hiking
shoe, money can buy in its segment. To all those people who have read my reviews of
endorsements for these shoes on some of the Trekking groups on Facebook
(namely “Indiahikes”) I can vouch that I am a believer in Quechua products. and have ended up
buying 2 Quechua backpacks as well, which I would like to review as well, but that can wait. So
people, go out there and grab a pair of your Forclaz 500 shoes, for you will not regret it.

Been using last one week. I love this shoe. The service of LifeMojo was excellent. Initially I made a mistake to select the proper size for me, but LifeMojo was extremely helpful in the return process and sent me back the proper one. Keep it up !!

For light treks to Approach marches, this shoe is a very very comfortable one. However, it has a plush feeling and don't expect mountaineering shoe-like comfort. It is extremely comfortable, never ever had a blister. Maintain it with a WaterProof Spray & buy an aftermarket inSole for better comfort. Great durability of joints & pasting.