It's winter here and I have never done winter hiking on mountains, I am too afraid of the descends, must feel like slipping all the time. But I want to try it anyways.

So, let's talk about traction of the outer soles.
For me it is the single most important quality of a shoe.
And now I am pretty sure all those heavy mountain boots are totally a meme.

I slipped around on the streets with snow on the ground with my heavy mountain shoes, also got no feeling for the ground.
Then I walked the same street again with my cheap Adidas hiking boots, which were totally worn out, guess what? I didn't feel even slipping at all.

The harder the sole, the less traction it offers, but the more durable it is.
Should have been obvious to me, applies to anything regarding traction, see tires.

What good is durability when you slip around on any wet conditions or even on rocky descends?
That's the experience I have learnt. I am going for those lightweight trail shoes from now on with sticky soles, which might not be durable, but makes the hike enjoyable.