climbing in rando boots

[Norm]

The old gray Koflachs have reached the end of their usefulness. (read: I can't stand to loose a pound of flesh or a roll of duct tape from my feet per climb any longer). I'm also considering tossing some AT bindings on an old pair of Atomic Tour Caps and in order to engage in a little heel bondage on routes where tele boots aren't the most practical for the ascent. So the question is this; are there any randonee boots out there, which are soft enough to make reasonable climbing boots but still stiffer than adding a cuff to a standard plastic mountaineering boot? Durability is another issue. I'd be happy to find a pair of tele boots with buckles which will last for more than 100 days

[BigWallBigBallsRocky]

I climb in Rando boots on waterfalls very often. Rent a set to find the ones you might like.

[Mike_Palmer]

We have randonee boots and skis you can rent to try it out. We rent K2 and Tua Skis and have the Scarpa Lazer, a good all around touring boot and one of the lighter boots out there. You can try them on our indoor ice wall at Cascade Crags in Everett if you want to see how they do on vertical ice.

[fishstick]

Hi Norm,

I've tried AT boots for climbing ice, but in all honesty don't like them.

Most AT boots are canted forward somewhat, which puts a huge stress on your quads when front pointing. I'm honestly unsure of which modern models can be adjusted to get rid of all of the cant altogether, but the old Dachstien DC tours worked in that regard. Secondly AT boots have zero side to side ankle flex, which compromises your ability to french and work with the terrain at hand efficiently. Keep in mind also that a DIN toe eats up some of the available front point on many crampons. The lack of rocker in a ski boot will also limit which crampons will fit. Finally, the buckles on AT boots are fragile when it comes to boulder fields and kicking into heavily chandeliered ice. I've managed to both bend and snap them.

Then again it's really hard to justify expenses sometimes. Of the modern ski boots one caught my eye for mountaineering purposes. It's a Dynafit with a climbing boot style, rather than a DIN toe. Very soft so it'll be a compromise skiing steep terrain. Should tour well however.

 

[CascadeClimber]

I climbed waterfall ice all last season in my Dynafit TLT4s (around 60 pitches). I think the boots don't do anything exceptionally, but do everying pretty well. You'll be disappointed if you are looking for high-performance skiing, climbing, or hiking with them, but I think they are a good all-round balance.

Biggest plusses on ice:

- No cold feet ever with Thermoflex liners

- High cuff seems to ease calf fatigue on steep stuff

Biggest minuses:

- Massive calf pump on low angle stuff (may be just my bad technique)

- Fancy footwork just ain't happening- anything that demands ankle flex is out.

It would be a good idea to try before you buy. Other than the earlier post, I think that Marmot also rents Rando boots.

-Loren