WTB Yet another boot question thread

[barjor]

We haven't had a boot thread this week so I thought it was about time. I am on my yearly winter equipment quest and I am now looking at boots. I been fine with a pair of lether Merrell High Cascade for the last couple of years but I am looking to upgrade to a pair of real winter boots. I will mostly use them in the winter cascades and maybe on Denali, I have pretty cold feet so toasty is good. This is what I been looking at

 

Koflach Vertical 2450g 339$

*Not sure how long they will last. Reports about that outer shell are too soft.

 

Scarpa Vega 2650g 350$

*My first choice at this point if they fit well

 

Scarpa Inverno 2608g 299$

*Is there a major difference between this and Vega?

 

Vasque ICE9000 2608g 395$

*My second choice if they fit well

 

La Sportiva Nuptse 2693g 515$

*Looks nice but are they overkill for the cascades? really spendy

 

Civetta GTX Extreme 2503g 350$

*Ugly

 

Lowa Civetta XL 2608g 275$

*Ugly

 

ASOLO AFS 8000 2400g 400$

*?

 

 

Is there any of these boots I should absolutely not buy?

Is there a boot that I have missed? What would you recommend?

[Mark_Husbands]

what size foot do you have? i have a pair of Asolos almost identical to the AFS 8000 that i will sell cheap, cheap, cheap!

[barjor]

Between 12 and 13

[Big_Mac]

My son is looking for a pair he is a 9.5 Wide.

What size are they?

[Ade]

In no particular order...

 

The weights are irrevant. The manufacturers quoted weights for boots are for a size 8 or 9 and are invariably wrong, you take a much larger boot anyways. It also assumes that boots are sized the same between manufacturers and they're not. I take a size smaller in the Ice 9000 than in the Inverno. When I weighed my Ice 9000s they came out the same as a pair of Invernos with thermofit liners, which the stock liners they were significantly heavier.

 

What really counts is fit and how they climb. The two are linked. Personally I think the Invernos should come in a waterproof box. That way you could throw away the boots and still have something that climbs better for your feet. But that's because for the most part they don't fit my feet that well.

 

As far as I'm aware the Vega is just the name the Inverno is sold under in Europe.

 

If you think that the Nuptse is overkill for the Cascades then the Ice 9000 and AFS 8000 will be too. These are all "Denali boots" and, unless you're going to do one of the big volcanoes in winter they'll be maybe TOO toasty.

Personally I think it's a stretch to get a single pair of boots to do both these things.

 

"Ugly" shouldn't matter. I'd wear Barbara Bush on my feet if I thought it would make the climbing better.

 

The La Sportiva Nuptse only comes in a size upto 47 Eur, this is borderline 12/13. Try Pro Mountain Sports, Jim may have them in stock in larger sizes now - La Sportiva were having problems making enough and getting them out to dealers. I was looking for a 48 and finally figured this isn't going to happen. Depending on the boot's sizing you might get away with 47 etc.

 

If you're worried about the durability of the Verticals then you should worry about the Ice 9000s too. I've had a pair and they've done fine so far but they're not like the Invernos - which are pretty much indestructable.

 

How about the other Koflachs?

 

How about the other Vasque boot, the Andinista? Or do you have to have a double boot?

 

Remember for some plastics the whole and half sizes are identical.

[dbconlin]

Lowa Civetta Extreme is reportedly an excellent climbing boot. Probably what I would choose. Forget the looks.

[barjor]

Yes I know looks don't matter. When I get some time I will go out for a "tour de boot" and see what fits. Just gathering info before hand so I know what to look for.

 

Thanks for the tip I will look into the Lowa to.