kayaker2119

@ADK you're a 10.5 in everything, and the Baruntse/Spantik's are too snug, just right, or need to be packed out/heat molded?

Reading your blog it sounds like you don't see much reason to go with the Spantik over Baruntse, which is what Mountain Shop was telling me. With the caveat that it'll be doing double duty as snowboard boot, would you still agree with that?

Wow. You're my hero. If you're in PDX, I owe you some basecamp 22oz'ers.

Just got some spantik's for my birthday. I tried some baruntse's on at Mountain Shop in PDX (they don't carry spantiks ) to get the sizing. They had whole sizes and the 45 felt about right. My patagonia hiking shoes are an 11, my brooks running shoes 12. Expected use: Some technical ice, but not a ton. Not a whole lot of 6-7k+ meter summits (for now). I'll mostly be doing Cascade winter peak bagging, BUT will be using these as touring boots for skinning up and snowboard descent boots for riding down. Thus the stiff spantiks. Sizing dilemma: My right foot is just slightly larger than my left. With smart wool mountaineering socks the fit is great, except that my right toe just barely touches the end of my boot when I give it the kick test. My low volume feet mean that sizing up to a 45.5 might leave the boots laced pretty tightly. Advice? Size up or stay put? Anyone with spantik's have wisdom after break-in and stretch?