How I use them
I bought these boots looking for a fairly light pair that can be used with semi-automatic crampons - and after quite some searching around I ended up with the Salewa Raven 2 GTX. I use them both for winter hiking (in summer I tend to hike in approach shoes) and mountaineering.

They are just the right inbetween weight, stiffness and warms to cover almost any ground.

On more than one occasion these boots have been the only pair of shoes I brought on a trip - wearing them on the plane and on city walks too.

Construction and Quality
On first glance the Raven 2s look like burly hiking boots. However they are stiffer and can be used with crampons even on steeper terrain (I use them with Petzl Sarkens). The insulation is there but not super warm - I never got cold feet but standing around in snow you do notice the cold creeping in. I did not have any issues with wet feet however. Neither in snowy or rainy environments nor from sweat building up.

After two years of walking, hiking, crampon use, and even some ice climbing these things look almost new. Especially the sole is still in very good shape. Of course the upper has some dings and scratches - but that’s par for the course if you actually use your boots!

Price
These boots are listed for 250 Euros / 250 Dollars but are sold at sub 200 at many shops or websites. I think that price is very reasonable for a pair of boots that covers most activities (especially for the beginner or time to time mountaineer) and much lower than that of high performance mountaineering shoes (which in most cases you will not need and you know if you do!).