Mountaineering boots for a newbie

[alakso]

I know someday I'll need plastic Mountaineering boots for the big Mountains. For right now I'm looking for a great pair of leather boots to use when I won't need plastic boots.

 

What does everyone recommend for great leather Mountaineering boots?

 

Are leather boots with a seperate liner recommended?

 

I take size 12 and have a D width and tend to have cold feet.

 

I've been looking at the La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX.

 

Any brands/boots to stay away from due to being to narrow, not warm, or heavy-clumsy?

 

Woliwon (thanks in Penobscot)...alakso

[Dr_Crash]

La Sportiva builds on a narrow last. Scarpas are wider. Go to a good shop with knowledgeable people and they should be able to steer you right. Depending on what you want to do, a half shank is enough (e.g. for most glacier travel), or you may want a full shank.

 

drC

[alakso]

Thanks Dr_Crash for your info.

 

Please excuse my ignorance but what is a "last"

 

Also thanks for your thoughs on the La Sportiva and Scarpa widths. There aren't many gear shops here in my neck of the Maine woods. But I will go to the local gear shops we do have and see what they recommend. It's just nice to know if a brand runs narrow so if my local gear shops don't have many brands I won't need to drive 100-200 miles to check out a brand or model of boots that may not fit my feet.

[selkirk]

the "last" is just the size/shape/material of the footbed.

 

I'd definitely second the 1/2 shank comment. They tend to be lighter and hike better. If you'll be doing technical rock/ice or hauling really heavy loads (50+lbs) in them you may want full shank, but for most glacier slogs, and almost all approach's the 1/2 shank is plenty.

 

To some degree you can look at where the brand is designed/manufactured. Italian (Garmont, Montrail?) boots tend to be narrow, French (La Sportiva) boots even narrower, american boots are usually wider. Again, not to pimp specific stores, but e-mail the folks at Mountain Gear ( mgear.com ). They could probably recommend some specific brands/models and they know their shit.

[Dustin_B]

I have a wide foot and own 2 pairs of La Sportiva boots (Nepal Extremes - great boots, and Trango S EVOs) that fit fine. I also own a pair of Scarpas (Alphas) and I dare say the Scarpas fit narrower.

 

I guess the moral of the story is you won't know what fits you until you try them on!

[Toast]

The last is actually a cast a boot is built to. It'll determind not only the footbed shape but the fit of the upper.

 

To echo DustinB, I also have wide feet and like the fit of the LaSportiva boots I've had. Montrail's current line of boots and shoes are all built in China these days, not Italy. The Montrail Olympus mountaineering boot does fit narrow, but it is available in a Wide version. I have a pair of Olympus Wide's and like them.

 

I think a really important question is what type of climbing do you intend to do? The La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX is a bad assed boot, no doubt. But it's also heavy, super expensive and probably overkill for most climbing where you're looking for a leather boot.

[TREETOAD]

I have a wide foot and own 2 pairs of La Sportiva boots (Nepal Extremes - great boots, and Trango S EVOs) that fit fine. I also own a pair of Scarpas (Alphas) and I dare say the Scarpas fit narrower.

 

I guess the moral of the story is you won't know what fits you until you try them on!

 

How do your trangos hold up in wet weather?

[Nick]

Where will you climb? Will you climb in winter? I have climbed a lot in New Hampshire in winter and in the Cascades in Washington. If you plan to climb in winter in the Northeast you should get plastic boots. In the (warmer) Cascade range you can get away with lighter boots in winter, but I still prefer plastic boots in winter even here. Scarpa Alpha ice (or whatever the latest equivelant is) are a good choice. The lightest and most comfortable plastic boots that fit your feet are the way to keep your feet warm at 30 below zero. If you want boots for the rest of the year I'd recomend something lighter and more comfortable to hike in than the La Sportiva Nepals. Fit and comfort are the main thing. I like boots made by Garmont and Technica. LaSportiva makes a general purpose mountaineering boot called "Glacier" that is comfortable. The ultra light LaSportiva "Trango" boots are less comfortable in my experience, and they have a reputation for being wet. I think you are much better off with the right boots for winter and the right boots for warmer seasons. If you get big clunky leather boots to try and use one set of boots year round (in the cold Northeast) you will have sore feet in summer and frozen feet in winter.

[Dustin_B]

Treetoad, I haven't used them enough in wet weather to know yet. They climb rock really well though.

[TREETOAD]

Thanks I have a pair of Nepal extremes for winter and I love them but I would like to get some boots for the other seasons. Do the Evos fit the same as the nepals or did you have to buy a different size?

[davidio]

I lived in VT for the past 5 years, leading ice for the past 3. I started off climbing in Alphas, then almost exclusively wore leathers (some Raichle 90 Deg EXPs) this past season. I like both, but i have certainly gravitated towards the leathers for day trips pretty heavily.

 

I like the leather boots because they are (obviously) much more comfortable to hike in, they are lighter, and i have more control of my feet when i climb. Mine kept me warm enough most days last year, and the couple of days when it was old school cold i wore a pair of insulated supergaitors over the boots for a boost in temperature. I found this to be a much more versatile system, and my feet were generally quite a bit happier at the end of the day. I still used my plastics for longer trips (they were key on Katadihn last Feb), where it's essential to be able to take the liner out at night to keep them warm and dry by sleeping with them (well, at least warm).

 

Just keep in mind that the 3 most important things when buying footwear (especially RIGID footwear) are FIT, FIT and FIT. As long as you figure out the correct type of boot you are looking for, it's my opinion that you should ignore the label on the boot and get the one that fits the best. It's pretty tough to find a poorly made boot from any of the manufacturers listed in this post.

 

Also, you really didn't say what exactly you will be using the boots for. Make sure you're getting the right boot for what you realisitically will be doing, make sure the salesperson who helps you out isn't trying to upsell you to more boot than you need. If you only intend on general mountaineering in the NE winter, or if you intend on sleeping out in the cold on a regular basis (and good for you if you are!!) then you should probably get some plastics, because that's what they are made for. If you really like sleeping in your bed every single night, and you want to get a bit more vertical, make sure you include some leathers when you are trying boots on. Best of luck, and say hello to Mt. Washington for me this winter.

 

david

[Nick]

I would agree that warm "leather" boots are a good choice for day climbs, even in the Northeast; plastics are the ticket for overnight trips in winter.

[andrewbanandrew]

I've tried on seven pairs of boots at five different shops and I've only had one pair that had very little heel lift when walking. I've found no boots that have little or no heel lift when standing on my toes (to mimic frontpointing). How much heel lift is normal? Obviously with a full shank boot it is impossible to have no heel lift because the foot flexes and the boot doesn't, but I don't want to drop a lot of money on boots only to find that I should've gone a size down.

 

The biggest problem is that each shop only had maybe one or two pairs close to my size, so it was impossible to try on a half size larger and smaller than my measured size to compare...

[John Frieh]

About a centimeter approximately. You can lace your boots differently to fight heel lift.

 

Almost all boots run true to size (i.e. match the brannock device) minus La Sportiva which seems to run a little on the small size. Make sure to size yourself in the brannock in both an unweighted position (sitting) as well as a weighted position (standing) or even better go to a reputable shop.

 

Where are you located?

[Dustin_B]

Thanks I have a pair of Nepal extremes for winter and I love them but I would like to get some boots for the other seasons. Do the Evos fit the same as the nepals or did you have to buy a different size?

 

I actually got a half size larger in the EVOs (12). In my other pair of Trango Ss (non-waterproof version), I had the same size as my Nepal Extremes (11.5) but they felt too short and hurt my toes. I'm actualy probably right inbetween sizes in the EVOs so I comprimised. the 12s feel better when I walk but I have less feel when climbing. the 11.5s in the Nepal Extremes are the perfect size and most all my other shoes are 11.5.

[andrewbanandrew]

Seattle, U-district. And yes I've been to PMS but they only had two boots in my size and I wanted something different than a pure water ice boot (Trango Ice) or pure glacier travel boot (La Sportiva Glacier).

 

I think the La Sportiva Trango Extremes that I tried on at Marmot fit pretty darn well, they're a tad wide in the forefoot on my right foot but not on my left so I'm thinking thicker socks would cure that.

[John Frieh]

Plenty of shops in your area...

 

Feathered Friends

Marmot (sounds like you were already there)

REI

 

SEA locals: who am I forgetting here?

 

Also a drive down to Portland never hurt anything... US Outdoor has a mind boggling number of options. While you are here you can hit OMC and Mtn Shop.

 

If you do get your boots from a cc.com supporter/advertiser make sure you tell them you saw their ad on cc!

[andrewbanandrew]

Been to FF, REI, PMS, Marmot, and Second Ascent.

[John Frieh]

Nothing fit beyond the Trango Extreme? What else did you try on?

[jerseyscum]

Nobody has mentioned Superfeet insoles and whatever the competition may be. I would never again buy boots without at least trying these as an additional fitting aide.

 

I have Garmont Towers, which are slightly similar to the ultralight Sportiva brand and are good for summertime snow and rock. I think crampon straps become painful on Towers, however, & wonder if Sportiva and similar brands have same drawback.

Edited December 23, 2005 by jerseyscum

[andrewbanandrew]

LS Glacier

LS Trango Ice

LS Nepal Extreme (only had small enough size in women's, too narrow)

Raichle 90 Degree EXP (a bit too wide, I think, although I don't really remember)

Scarpa Freneys (old blue ones, too big)

Montrail something or rathers the ones with the special crampons, too pronounced of an arch.

 

Not that it really matters anyway, I got in a fender bender the other day so my savings will go towards increased insurance premiums. Oh well. There's always next year.

Edited December 23, 2005 by andrewbanandrew

[John Frieh]

Keep an eye on the yard sale... you never know.

 

If/when you do start looking again try on:

 

- Freney (new one not the old one... REI stocks it)

- Nepal Extreme in Men's in your size... if the Trango Extreme fit this one should also.

- Trango Ice Evo (US outdoor has them)

- Trango Extreme Evo Goretex (I think this is the one you tried on and it fit)

 

Other brands you might consider if the la sportiva boots aren't too your liking (sounds like they fit) include Kayland, Lowa, Garmont, Salamon, etc etc

[Tjaden]

Ah, but alas... REI no longer stocks the Freney XT. It also looks like BD dropped their mountain boots... anyone have any idea on who'll be distributing them?

 

I haven't had much luck with the LS and Raichle lasts, was hoping that Scarpa would have something... but for the life of me I can't find a place that has anything other than the Invernos. Help?

[Nick]

I just got some warm leather boots for winter use in the Cascades. I predict that they will be not quite as warm as my plastic boots, and they only weigh 6 ounces less for the pair than my Scarpa Alpha (with non-thermofit liners), but the leather boots should be quite a bit better than the plastics for rock and mixed climbing. The leathers are much more compact and have full wrap-around sticky rands. The leathers do not have removeable liners, so they will likely not stay dry inside on longer multi day outings.

[John Frieh]

It also looks like BD dropped their mountain boots... anyone have any idea on who'll be distributing them?

 

Call BD... they will have data on who ordered what from them and should be able to locate someone in your area.

 

If it helps I got a good fit out of Scarpa for years but recently switched to Kayland... great fit! Great boots! Good luck finding a place to try them on!