Review: HOKA Kaha 2 Frost GTX Winter Hikers

When winter throws you a curveball, there’s still a time and place for the new HOKA Kaha 2 Frost GTX boots and I did my best to put them to good use. These all-new winter hiking boots are adept at keeping my feet warm and dry under the harshest conditions — yes, I did find some.

HOKA Kaha 2 Frost GTX Features:

• Features a waterproof GORE-TEX insert
• Vibram Megagrip outsole with 5mm lugs
• Dual-density CMEVA midsole with HUBBLE® heel and SwallowTail™
• 400 grams of Primaloft Gold insulation
• Reflective foil to keep in warmth
• Glove-friendly heel pull tab
• Cold-weather rated to -25 degrees
• 8mm drop
• Weight: 77 (each, size 11.5, actual)
• MSRP: $280

Cozy HOKA boots

HOKA’s shoe lineup has certainly expanded since the first days they appeared on my local trails. For this winter, the Kaha 2 Frost GTX arrived with warmth and comfort in a 100% waterproof design. Boots haven’t historically been HOKA’s best offering, but I’m always a sucker for HOKA’s legendary comfort and stack height, so I was stoked to give these a go.

Let’s talk through the whole package. The recycled polyester ripstop uppers are built with reinforced areas for support and protection. The beauty of these uppers is they don’t require any break-in period and they remain stylish for use in the mountains or around town.

Kudos to HOKA for improving the lace-up and cinching procedure here. It’s been a few years, but the Speedgoat Mid GTX 2’s were challenging to take on/off. The Kaha 2 Frost GTX is nothing of the sort — they are a breeze to put on, take off and cinch down. The eyelets offer smooth passage for the laces and the uppermost eyelet does have a hooked option if you prefer. These eyelets also allow the laces to flex in/out slightly with each step. It does prevent targeted tightening, but I appreciate the smoothness of each step and lack of pressure points. It did take me a few hikes to figure out how snug I can make them, so don’t be afraid to yoink on those laces, if necessary.

These offer a high-volume fit, so I would suggest thicker socks than usual to get the most foot-cradling fit. Still, I used lightweight socks with some success. I tested the Kaha 2’s with Voltage KOM Mid Cooling socks and they are a little too thin for a proper fit, so I went with thicker socks for the majority of my testing. I’d suggest at least a midweight sock for the best fit and performance.

While HOKA is known for their comfort, all that stack height doesn’t always equate to squishy comfort. Actually, that’s one of the surprises here. My morning hike has a 1-mile road approach and hiking on asphalt isn’t very comfortable. The midsole likely stiffens in cold temperatures, but these don’t have quite the HOKA squish I desire. Still, they do offer adequate comfort and a nice, rolling stride that works well on flat, rolling and steep terrain.

On steep descents, my feet did tend to slip forward. Most of the time, it wasn’t a major issue, but after one extended descent the insole started bunching up underneath my forefoot. As I’ve learned to cinch these down more, that hasn’t happened, but consider that a sign to tug on those laces once more for good measure.

Vibram Megagrip is the industry standard in outsoles. And, 5mm lugs are great for added traction in tricky terrain. However, the rubber’s hardness does deliver lackluster performance on ice. Other boots have much better ice performance, so don’t expect much grip should you step on sheer ice. Stability is outstanding and the cuffs remain comfortable across all types of terrain. Grip on dirt and snow is actually excellent (as I expected).

Breathability is on par with what they should be — they are winter boots after all. You’re never going to wear these when the weather warms, so it’s not realistic to expect them to breathe like a pair of trails shoes. Thanks to the Primaloft Gold insulation, they always remain toasty. All that warmth is protected by the GORE-TEX liner that has prove to be 100% waterproof. Unintentional snowdrifts and intentional mud puddles were all used to validate this.

Fit: I’m consistently a size 11.5 in trail running shoes and that’s what I went with here. They are high-volume, as mentioned, but the length and overall fit is correct. 

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