Torment Forbidden Traverse Footwear

[mthorman]

So what is everyone's favorite or preferred footwear combination for the TFT? Mountaineering boots, hiking boots, approach shoes, and/or rock shoes? If you just took 1 pair which which would it be?

[DPS]

There is a significant traverse on snow or possibly ice. Lightweight mountaineering boots with stiff soles and steel crampons are my choice. And rock shoes because I am a sucky rock climber.

[dougd]

I was thinking seriously about going with my 5.10 approach shoes with aluminum crampons, and carry the fire's up with me. Might be a little light for a first time but I think I could do it.

 

Wish I was able to join you on this one Marlin. Good luck.

 

d

[goran]

We did it 3 weeks ago with stiff mountaineering boots (I was using Trango Ices, my partner had Nepal EVOs). They made the snow travel extra-secure and were just fine for all of the rock climbing. I'm a big fan of trail runners, but if the snow traverse were firm and didn't have pre-kicked steps, it'd be very sketchy to use trail runners with crampons. That said, you might find success dropping over the S. Side there and avoiding the snow traverse, as per Steph Abegg's report.

 

For what it's worth, my partner brought rock shoes and never bothered to put them on though they might have been nice in some of the slabby, loose, sandy class 4 on Torment. We did carry crampons (mine were the steel Kahtoola KTS's), and I'd say they're mandatory with all of the glacier travel. Aluminum would have worked for our trip.

 

[added] In retrospect, it was a huge time-saver to not bring other footwear. No faffin' around changing shoes, just a bunch of long simul pitches. Bring extra double+ length slings to extend simul blocks, since most of the pro consists of large slung horns.

Edited August 4, 2013 by goran

[Bronco]

Partner and I Climbed the TFT in Scarpa Charmoz, light mountaineering boots. If you're climbing hard enough to want rock shoes, you may be off route and I agree, you don't want to be changing shoes much. Aluminum crampons are fine, but you may be frontpointing on hard snow/ice this late in the season.

 

Seen guys wearing the Sportiva Boulder X high top quite a bit recently and they look like a good boot for this type of route.

http://www.sportiva.com/products/footwear/climbingapproach/boulder-x-mid-gtx

[rocketparrotlet]

I did this last week and actually brought 3 (!) pairs of shoes at my buddy's suggestion: running shoes which we stashed at Boston basin, mountaineering boots and rock shoes for the traverse. I'd say the rock shoes were not really necessary, but it sure was nice having a comfy pair of runners instead of stiff mountaineering boots for the way out.