Lowa Silberhorn

[MattS]

Has anyone had experience with these yet?

 

They look tempting. I'm on the search for a new boot to replace my old Sportiva Ice boots (which tear my heels to pieces. Foolish me for not fitting them better) and these are on my list. Any idea how these Silberhorns compare to the mountain expert?

 

Thanks

[Water]

sorry i cannot comment on the silberhorn directly but i have been extremely satisfied with the mountain expert boot. to me the silberhorn somehow seems higher on the ankle/calf than the mountain expert--though in counting the lacing it seems to have the same number. contact lowa, they might be able to offer you differentiation details that obviously aren't on the website.

 

also the silberhorn does not seem to have a spot in the middle of the upper tongue to help with lacing techniques (depending on how you lace up), which the mnt expert has. also the silberhorn seems to have a single piece of un-interrupted leather while the mnt expert has some plastic/fiber panels near the heel. Lastly the silberhorn's listed weight is pound? or something (maybe not that much) more than the mnt expert. To me, it seems like a bulkier boot, somehow.

[Gym Wickedwire]

I've been using the Silberhorn's predecessor (Cristallo GTX) for a few seasons now. The only important difference I can see is that the new version has a leather upper while mine is synthetic (Cordura I believe).

I've found them to be very warm and comfortable on colder routes in the Cascades and not so cold routes in AK. They perform pretty well on ice and I have not had problems with the tongue sliding (often a problem with my boots) because the inner tongue is velcroed to outer piece and you can adjust it as needed. Overall it is very comparable to the LaSportiva Nepal, but maybe a bit warmer. For me they fit way better than the LaSportivas (wider, flatter feet). They've seen a fair amount of use and seem to be holding up just fine; I'm really happy with Lowa's quality. For ice, winter and spring climbing in WA and routes on Rainier I'd say the Silberhorns are a good choice.

[MattS]

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

I tried on a pair of the mountain experts and they fit very well. I liked that they are lighter than the Silberhorns. How do the mountain experts perform on water ice? I'm wondering if they have a bit too much flex for that.

 

Thanks again

[Water]

MattS:

 

Here are some reviews off REI's site. Looks like at least 3 people have said they used them for ice climbing in ouray and in cody. I suppose there is probably stiffer if you're going to be spending hours and hours on the ice and ice alone but if the fit is good and the price right it sounds like it would work well.

http://www.rei.com/product/719735

 

 

in addition you might try picking through this original thread of mine that landed me on the Mnt Experts. please ignore the extreme nubism on my part in it Some people discussed the predecessor of the silberhorn there i believe.

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/876847/mountaineering_boot_advice_for#Post876847

 

 

[MattS]

Thanks Water. That thread answered a lot of my questions on the mountain expert.

 

I'm going to give them a shot next time I find a good sale on them. I'm being foolish and trying to get 1 pair of do-it-all boots even though that is pretty much impossible for the range of conditions we have here. It sounds like the mountain expert will be plenty stiff for alpine ice, and it'll be nice to have a boot that works decent on rock too. If I feel like ice cragging I can always throw on my ski boots for that I suppose.

 

If only I had narrow heels I would just stick with my trango ice boots as they have been great for everything I've asked of them.