how long before dane buys these?

[trainwreck]

La Sportiva Baruntse

 

 

 

[Ponderosa]

$600.00

[Dane]

You got a bug in my search engine Grant? But to answer the question not long if they actually fit Like, about the time Zappos puts them on line. Little lighter than the Spantik by the charts I noticed. And I welcome the retro lacing system. Also nice to have a more rigid sole for the things I am doing, (not long or all that cold) so the crampon clips don't collapse the sole if you over tighten the crampon.

 

But these (Spantik below) with Intuition liners are doing the trick so far. If my Intuition liners will fit the new Baruntse it's already a done deal. The Baruntse looks to be more of a Nepal Top dbl boot to me. Which is really what I have wanted all along. Kinda a new wave white Kolflach from 30 years ago. The Spantik for shorter things in the Alps or Canada in winter is over kill imo. What makes it nice on long modertae ice, the stiff ankle, also makes it suck any other terrain. Hopefully the lacing, sole compression, ankle flexibility, fit, weight and a slightly lower volume will be things Sportiva addressed with the Baruntse while still retaining more warmth than a Nepal Evo and less volume than a Spantik. Be an awesome boot if they even made half those changes. Be nice if they would go back to the originally quoted $500 price though

 

[trainwreck]

i saw them and thought of you.

 

i am also thinking of snatching up a pair for winter as they are already on sale at MEC. then i think about the fact that they're overkill for 90% of what i do and that what i really need is a pair of nepals. i was also given a pair of old asolo doubles so i really don't need new ones without a decent pair of leather boots first. a man can dream though...

 

 

 

[Dane]

Bastard Shows $600+ online at MEC. How much they on sale for?

[trainwreck]

i meant "available for purchase" not 'marked down.' i'd have to pay the full price.

[LeTiger]

"Ships within Canada only." - MEC

 

Shame....

 

 

$630 though after currency exchange rates calculated...

[billbob]

Sportiva says the Baruntse goes to size 50, and I really need something longer than my Nepals... so tired of black toenails :-(

But will a size 50 double boot actually give more room than a size 48 leather?

[Dane]

Call Sportiva and ask but I would think it would be bigger.

[pup_on_the_mountain]

[aside]

Wow! You have big feet Bill!!

 

A cute girl was looking at the big feet of my friend, and remarked "You have really big feet!". He said, nonchalantly, "My foot is not the ONLY thing that is big."

[/aside]

 

I wear US size 9 street shoes. My first pair of mountaineering boots were the La Sportiva Glaciers, and I went with size 42 (supposed to be equivalent to US 9). They were tight on my big toes. Then I got the Nepal EVOs in size 42.5, and they offer a much better fit for the toes. I also have Koflachs (Arctis, plastic double boots) in size US 9 (Euro 42), and they have way more room than either the Glaciers or the Nepals. In fact, they are almost loose (especially in the heels - when climbing ice with them, my heels lift up despite lacing tight).

 

I'd like to think the double boots (Baruntse) should be roomier than their single leather compatriots. But you know the golden rule for buying boots - try them on first.

 

 

 

[billbob]

I wish the larger size existed in all my extremities!

 

US Outdoor store (in PDX) has the new Baruntse, still in boxes tho. Available for fondling next week.

 

Sportiva won't receive the size 49 & 50 from Italy until November, apparently getting a lot of interest from others well blessed with large appendages.

Edited August 19, 2009 by billbob

[bivchad]

I emailed Sportiva about the overall size and they said: "The Spantik is going to be warmer and with a lower volume fit for a more technical boot.The Spantik and the Baruntse overall have the same masses, so they are overall the same size. They both have the same outsole, so they are equally "hikeable. The Baruntse is going to be lighter than the Spantik."

[giza]

No longer $600 at MEC due to recent general retail price increase. Now $695.00 CAD so maybe not such a good deal for you guys in the US after all?

[Dane]

OK, since everyone from Parks Canada employees, to my wife, thinks I have a climbing boot fetish here is my firsthand report on the Baruntse.

 

 

Just found them available on line yesterday not at Zappos.com as expected but locally at http://www.whittakermountaineering.com/ in Ashford, WA. About a 75 mile drive for me. But I really wanted to know how they would fit. I called, open 7am to 8pm. They had a full size run in stock...along with full size runs of Nepal EVOs and Spantiks. No one in Seattle and may be even WA has a similar assortment of boot styles and sizes.

 

Chad at @ Whittaker mountaineering was kind enough to allow me play time with a range of sizes and compare a pair of Spantiks to the newest Baruntse. I was at the Summit Haus in Ashford a good hr or more fitting boots today.

 

 

Hey, also worth noting there is a BIG party at Whittaker's next weekend (9/12&13) with food, beer, free lectures, slide shows and a big gear sale...might be worth a trip:)

Heck, you could even try on some boots

 

http://www.rainierfestival.com/

 

OK the boot? First think of a super warm Nepal Evo.

Then let me pick apart Sportiva's comments.

 

...I emailed Sportiva about the overall size and they said: "The Spantik is going to be warmer and with a lower volume fit for a more technical boot.....The Spantik and the Baruntse overall have the same mass, so they are overall the same size..... They both have the same outsole, so they are equally "hikeable.... The Baruntse is going to be lighter than the Spantik."

 

By actual volume I doubt seriously the Spantik will be a warmer boot than the Baruntse. I have the Spantik, been using it for 2 years and with the Intuition liner. With the after market liner it may be warmer than the Baruntse but not a lot is my take on it. Normal boot and liners in both boots and the Spantik may be a tiny bit warmer only because the Spantik has more insulation in the sole and less lace exposed to trap snow on top of the boot.

 

 

No question the lower volume fit of the Baruntse will make it a BIG hit with anyone looking for a more user friendly technical boot. The Baruntse is going to be the BOMB as a cold weather technical boot. Again..think way, way, warmer Nepal EVO.

 

The out side volume of the Spantik and the Baruntse is the same but the Baruntse fits a bit smaller. Not the best pictures but trust me virtually same volume on both boots if not the Baruntse having the bigger volume toe box.

 

 

Good shot of the mid soles here. Yellow on the Spantik is a hard foam...warm and light. The gray mid sole on the Baruntse is hard rigid platic. Bit heavier but way more rigid.

 

 

I take a 46 in the Spantik and a 45 in the Baruntse....same sox combinations. I wear a 45 in all the other Sportiva mtn boots. Again because of that the Baruntse might well be warmer. The over all size of the boot is smaller because I can wear a 45 instead of a 46...a good thing on difficult terrain.

 

Now some details. The Baruntse lacing system both on the inner boot and the outer boot is superb...better imo and easier to use than the Spantik. Certainly less prone to failure on the Baruntse. I went through three pairs of Spantiks with broken eyelets on inner and outer boot the first year. Old school laces on the Baruntse so you can crank on the outer boot and a simi- modern inner boot lace system still much easier to use and a much better fit for me (narrow heels) than the Spantik inner boot. Inners are marked 44.5/45 in the 45 shell and 45.5/46 in the 45.5 shell. I choose the tightest inner boot with the smallest shell...a 45..using two pairs of liner sox as I have been using in my Spantiks previous. I suspect by the inner boot markings that the shells are actually made in full sizes only....so beware when fitting. I would think the inner boot markings mean a 45 shell is used in a 44.5 and a 45 and a 46 shell is used in a 45.5 and a 46. I'd guess 3/8" to 1/2" differenece in shells between the 45 nd 45.5. That also leads me to believe the full size shells only. So a 44.5 and a 45 will have the same liner and a 45 shell, a 45.5 and a 46 will the same liner and a 46 shell and so on. Koflach did the same thing BITD. Sucks as the liners pack out with use and your shell may end up being too big. I want heel hold down first and formost so I'll go to the smaller shell. Toe bump is less likely in a dbl if you fit the boot right and more easily fixed with a boot press if you are close like I am. (Sturdavants in Bellevue is the boot fitting place)

 

Check out the inner boot sizing...mondo point as well.

 

 

Gone is the extra foam insulation in the Spantik sole that collapses when fit with a really tight crampon binding. That is another good thing imo. A thicker mid sole as well in the Baruntse. Thicker than the rigid Nepal Evo. A good thing imo for a size 45 (12 USA) boot or bigger and that added leverage. Going to make the smaller boots very rigid in the sole and a little harder to walk in than the Spantik I suspect.

 

I had wished the Baruntse would have been slightly less volume and warmth than the Spantik. It isn't. You still have a really big pair of boots with the Baruntse but it will climb better than the bigger volume dbl boots. Still the Barunste looks to be warm enough to easily summit Denali in decent late spring weather without overboots if you are paying attention.

 

The Spantik has the flex of a ski mountaineering boot, like none side ways, and pretty stiff for and aft as well. Not the best boot for French technique in 'pons. The Baruntse is more like...again.. the Nepal Evo. Some side ways flex and progessive flex forwards and back. Easier to walk and more importantly to climb hard technically in or do a little French technioque on that long moderate ice to save your calfs.

 

 

As you can easily see in the above picture the "last" on the Barunste has a wider toe box. The narrower heel can be laced tighter at the ankle with ease to have great heel hold down. Nepal last compared to the Nupste last I suspect. I'd bet the Baruntse will fit more people easier than the Spantik. Useful gear loops on shells and inner boots of the Baruntse as well. Hate to drop chit when it could get painful

 

I have been looking for a boot that was "warm" enough (Canada winter), could easily be dried out on over night trips, stiff enough for long sections of hard, moderate alpine ice, still climb technical stuff well with some ankle flex and offer a superb fit. There are some good boots out there that will do almost everything I am asking for. Just not one that would do everything. Hence the boot fetish. The oldest white Kolfach's did it all 30 years ago and weighted less than the the best of the current crop of dbl boots. It only lacked a bit of warmth. The Baruntse is getting close and may just be a tiny bit better than anything else currently available for my own needs. No question it is warmer than an early Kolflach and the weight is coming back down.

 

I suspect the Baruntse will also be the more durable of the three Sportiva's I mentioned.

 

Since someone is sure to ask..

The Batura is a even more technical boot (read flexible ankle and smaller physical volume) but a single boot and hard to dry out on multiple day outings and no where near the larger volume (read additional warmth) or support of the Baruntse. Think LWT single boot and super gaiter for the Batura and no where near as warm as the other two boots in the discussion. The Batura is pretty much a tie for warmth with the newest Nepal Evo....the edge for warmth going to the Batura, for the most ankle support (good or bad depending on conditions and type of climb) the winner is the Nepal Evo.

 

 

 

 

 

[JosephH]

Curious what size you take in a sportiva rock shoe.

[Dane]

Joseph, I typically wear my rock shoes at least a size or size and a half small. Not a good comparison. I do wear a 11.5 street shoe and in most running shoes which should give a good comparison to my mtn boot sizes. I also don't use much sox in my mtn boots. 2 liners or a mid weight and a liner is all I generally use.

[JosephH]

Dane, I'm trying to figure out the diff between your rock shoes and mtn boot - street shoes help in that comparison, but still would still like to know your EU sportiva sizing.

[Dane]

OK, but you may end up with some tight mtn boots you can't walk in

 

Sportiva rock shoes I generally wear a 43.5 (tight) or a 44 (decent) but not comfortable. Boreal I use a 9.5 (tight) 10.5 reasonably comfortable for long days. No soxs and lots of baby powder in all of them.

[JosephH]

Thanks, that helps...

[bivchad]

Thanks for the detailed info, Dane! I am thinking the Baruntse may be my ticket for a boot for Rainier in winter and moderate technical in Alaska next June.

[PeakDream]

Hey, Dane: I'm one of those people who has wide toebox and narrow heel, which sportiva never fit well.

 

"Not the best pictures but trust me virtually same volume on both boots if not the Baruntse having the bigger volume toe box."

 

"Old school laces on the Baruntse so you can crank on the outer boot and a simi- modern inner boot lace system still much easier to use and a much better fit for me (narrow heels) than the Spantik inner boot."

 

Is this just from the photo or you actually felt the difference?

 

I just might give Sportiva a chance if Baruntse fits me. BTW, how technical do you feel you can climb in those boots comfortably?

 

[Dane]

For me...11.5 feet, C width up front and a A heel with the ankles of a 7 year old *skinny* girl, the boots fit great. That is saying a lot. Much bigger toe box. I was able to go full size smaller than the Spantik for example because the toe box is bigger where required for my foot. I could feel the difference...or in this case... not feel... the pressure of the the box in a 45 Baruntse.

 

I've climbed some 5.10 rock in dbls before with and without 'pons. These are the first BIG dbl boots I felt I might actually manage that again. For me a more technical boot than the Spantik easier to manage and with little loss of wamrth as a trade.

 

"BIG"...dbl boots? The Spantiks and Baruntse are big, really big volume boots. Which makes them warm. But a big step up in overall size to the old Koflach for example. So they can be a challenge to climb technical terrain in. Doesn't seem to bother the new generation though if you see where the Spantik has been. My impression is the Baruntse is easier to use on that kind of terrain for me. Thought so the moment I first laced them up.

 

photo credit to:

http://colinhaley.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html