shad Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) Hey guys, I am new to mountaineering so please excuse the dumb question. I was able to pick up a pair of used La Sportiva Glacier boots for $24 last weekend. These are them: boots It looks like they have a half steel shank instead of full steel shank but are otherwise similar to the Makalu. Do you guys think these should be sufficient for easy spring mountaineering in the Cascades? Mountains I might want to do include Mt St Helens, Mount Adams, South Sister, Mt Hood South Side, maybe even Rainier later this summer. Thanks in advance for your help. My only other snow climb I wore plastic boots I had never worn before, and this is what I wound up with: Edited February 10, 2012 by shad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robpatterson5 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 They look great, you will need a pair of crampons with a plastic toe basket and a heel leaver, rather then one with a steel clip at the toe. Otherwise sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Water Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 2nd. Appropriate boots for mentioned volcanoes in mentioned seasons. Make sure to waterproof them good for longer/slushy conditions. beeswax or one of the sprays. I realize this was from the plastic boots you used prior, but I've generally found (never have had a blister from any boots myself) that putting mole-skin when one feels a hotspot is like getting your coffee cup out to bail out a boat once it has slammed into a rock. does about squat at that point. I have seen demonstrated throwing on some moleskin well ahead of time then outright covering it with athletic tape. Just an angle as heel slippage can be a common problem in a lot of boots when going uphill. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I had the precursor glacier boot to the one currently available. I used it on many volcanoes including rainier in summertime. It worked out just fine. It breaks in very much though and I needed to use a full strap crampon model. Don't know if the newer models will stay stiffer longer than my older model but I suspect that it will still get floppy which is fine except when you gotta kick in some steps on steep ground. $24 is a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Thanks for the info! I was trying to figure out why my boots are blue and the ones on the website are tan when I realized that I had bought the women's model. Haha, they fit great. At least they aren't pink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 when I got mine a long time ago, the glacier boots were blue. Maybe you have a 8 year old model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selkirk Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Mine are the Tan version, but probably also 8 or 9 years old, and they've been great. I havent' put in the mileage that Gene has so they aren't tooo floppy. I've had good luck with the Grivel New-matic attachment (lever in the back, plastic basket in the front.) I didn't take them up Rainier but I expect they would have been fine. Everything else you mentioned they were ideal for (Baker a few times, shuksan, Sahale, etc.) Took them out of the box and backpacked the Enchantments with no blisters. Great boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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