I use these boots for everything from light day hikes to steep snow and ice climbing in crampons, and they perform without fail. They are stiff, durable, adjustable, and comfortable. They are just as "at home" on an easy trail hike as they are on steep mixed climbing routes. Plus, the quality and craftsmanship are top-notch, unlike most of the Chinese mass-produced "boots" which cost just a little less and fall apart within a few months (I'm looking at you Vasque). Do yourself a favor. If you are serious about your outdoor footwear, drop those ratty sundowners and trail runners, and go for the best. Long live La Sportiva!

I'll preface this review with the fact that I bought my Makalu's back in '94... The boot is a great all-around kicker for light ice, hiking and anything you can throw at it. In fact I used it as my first snowboard boot for a whole season in the Wasatch. I've also worn them when living in Russia and have always taken great care to re-apply waterproofing. The downfall (and reason for the 3 stars) is that the interior of the boot disintegrated on me. While I still wear them, I have to re-apply a climbing tape patch to the entire heal section on both boots every 4 months or so. Not sure if this was a design flaw in the boot or whether the new ones are made better. The explanation I got from the store was 'they're made for an Italian's foot and my big fat heel is what caused the damage' (jackass). Whatever. Just be cautious with falling in love with them.

I bought these boots a week before a 10 trek in Patagonia. My feet surprisingly lasted about 4 days and 75 miles before blistering on the heels, not bad for no break in and hard going.

The boots are extremely well made and I picked the size 45 for my US 11.5 feet. I think my feet are on the high side of average width and the boots gripped comfortably. Neither snow, streams, nor frogging through bogs got my feet wet.
I used them only one day with step-in crampons and no surprises.

Except for their weight (like 2lbs each), they're a most excellent choice.

These boots fit me very well. They are very stiff yet are shaped to enable walking on hard surfaces. Their tread is much deeper than some other mountaineering boots so they had good traction in snow.

For five days the Makalu's were the footwear of choice on my winter camping trip in Northern Minnesota. They kept my feet warm, provided great support and allowed me to pull my 150 lb sled with ease. The removeable footbed and tongue made them perfect for drying out in my bag at night. AWESOME Boot!

Even thow i haven't bought them from Backcountry have to say after 1.5 years these are one of the best mountaineering boots i owned , i had luck the break in period was on the 1st hike after that they never once failed me never leaked never got wet , i use a wax coating on the leather before each hike thow .
Tested them with few sorts of crampons and they do good , a thumbs up for the removable tongue and footbed to warm then when the weather reaches freezing temps cause the leather with get hard as a rock . All in all could not be more pleased with this product .

I have had my pair of Makalu's for about two years now. They are by far the best heavy duty boot that I have ever had. In fact I used them in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom instead of the Asolo's that I was issued. They performed flawlessly in Iraq and have gone to the top of many mountains in Colorado during the winter. I'll buy them as long as they make them!

Everyone raved how awesome this boot is. It is great at mixed climbing, or heavy backpacking, but I would go with a serious plastic like Koflach for any serious mountaineering.

Great stability and support. I have tried it through snow and slush. Let me tell you it works. Weatherproof all year round. These boots offer a traction control while I'm trying to escape the ice. I love the way the tongue can extend out if you wanted to tuck in your pant legs. Another feature I like about these boots is the removable tongue padding. Only to ensure more support I can just slip on these tongue paddings. I like the locking lace mechanism. This is to ensure that your laces will not slip out or loosen through the eye holes while working your way up steep terrain.

I can go anywhere. I wear them everyday to work and play. Comfy cozy. As long as they keep making them I will only wear my Makalus.

Makalu boots are for slender to normal feet. I wear a 8.5 US size. BackcountryStore.com recommends getting a half size smaller. I followed their chart which tells you to get a 41.5 euro if you wear a 8.5 US. My feet are a little bit wide. It took a week of wearing them all day to break them in. I then went on a 3 hr hiking excursion on a volcano near Toluca Mexico as I do every Saturday. Compared to a pair of Soloman hiking tennis shoes they are much better.
My knees bother me when I wear the Salomon´s. Plus I get better traction on steep loose inclines. I literally helped pull a 200lb friend up one such incline. These boots have very stiff soles and are very supportive. And my toe beside my big toe is longer so it just touches the boot. I can kick a cement wall and feel nothing. My left foot is wider than my right. So my right foot feels great and my left foot still experiences some pressure at the front side of my foot. I can easily live with this since I only feel pressure not pain. They really hug my feet which gives me more confidence on steep slopes. The liner really protects your feet. The pain I experienced with break-in was well worth it!!! I never experienced any blisters breaking them in with cheap socks. I would recommend them to everyone except for those with extra wide feet.

These boots do everything they are designed/claimed to do and very well I might add... construction and workmanship is excellent. Break-In is tough however, you will feel like your feet are being broken in not the boot. Try different sock/sole/heel-insert/tongue-position combinations to determine the best setup and make sure you protect your heels initially with mole skin or some tape. After 12 days of use ranging from wilderness trekking, snow trekking, ice climbing, alpine climbing and scrambling the boots have broken in quite fine. I found my feet were quite cold on belay during alpine climbing - but hey they have no extra insulation and i wasn't wearing super-gaiters...plus my current activities don't justify shelling out for rigid insulated boots.

If these fit well, go for it! Fit is paramount to happy feet... there are plenty of models/brands out there to choose from.

There is no better all around boot out there! I purchased mine from here and have loved them ever since....there is no other boot in my opinion. I've had my Makalu's for a few years and just recently backpacked 38 miles in 3 days in the backcountry of Rocky Mtn Nat'l and these boots take everything you throw at them. Water, mud, sand, scree etc....NEVER STOP STOCKING THIS BOOT, PLEASE! :)

This seems to be a really great product, and Backcountry.com's service was wonderful! I have a heel spur, and it was recommended that I purchase a light mountaineering boot to help reduce the effects of this problem. I feel like the boots will be fantastic once they are broken in, which seems to be a minimum amount of time for a mountaineering boot. Great job!

Thanks,
Mtnfree

I have had a pair of Vasque Montanya's for 15 years. I grew up Old School as far as mountain boots are concerned. When it came time to replace my old tried and true friends I didn't think that there would be anything close to what I was used to. BOY was that a mistake. I did my homework for about a month and decided to go with the Makalu. I found that they are just as good and perform just as well as any boot I have ever owned. I do alot of harsh environment backpacking and climbing. When the boots arrived I had just enough time to put them in the car. I wore them on a 5 day hike with moderate to extreme trail conditions straight out of the box. I suffered no break-in issues at all. I have been won over by these boots and recommend them to anyone who is looking for a good quality boot at a fair price.

These boots are tough; maybe too tough for your feet. Count on a long break in period. The Gore-Tex liner is good for the first 10 hours, after that plan on using the wax.

These boots are the bomb! I've used them for many types of trips. They’re great in the snow, in water, in heat, on trail or rock. I have taken them up fourteeners in Colorado in summer and fall. I’ve also done some edging on rock and at my local climbing gym. And used them camping for 3 days in the desert in Arizona. Great for heavy packs as it has a built in shank. Great grip. The model I have has Vibram rubber. The newer models that I have seen may use different rubber as the Vibram emblem wasn't on the new models I’ve seen. At least 4 of my other friends and I swear by them. And among us have tried many others. Makalu is the way to go. Great job Sportiva!

I am a Forester and am in the process of ordering my third pair of Makalus which I use not only for mountaineering but as a work boot. Each pair has lasted approximately 30 months of continuous use, and by continuous I mean day in and day out. The main weak areas I encounter are the nylon boot loops fail and waterproofing tends to be difficult, not a problem with waterproof socks though. Also the sole starts to delaminate but this is at the end of the boots life.

I bought these boots for my boyfriend, who has been an expert rock climber and back-country hiker for over 20 years. He had worn the La Sportiva Glacier previously, but when they weren't available in his size, and he'd worn his old boots down to the bare threads, I convinced him to try these. He is so glad he did. He says they are the best boots he has ever used!

This was my second pair> I use them as uniform boots as an Air Rescue Medic. They perform very well with all the different requirements I place on them. However, I did ruin a pair by leaving them in a hot vehicle for a long period of time. I would still recommend them highly. A lot of my co-workers are buying them.

It’s stiff and waterproof. Not the most comfortable boot ever for hiking, but for approach, scrambling, snow-play, snowshoeing and ice work, it’s a very good all-around choice. Your feet will be warm and dry, especially when paired with a good gaiter.

I purchased the Makalu (Men's Size 47.5) for a NOLS course in the Wind River mountains. The fit is somewhat narrow but otherwise unremarkable. These boots were very comfortable (for me at least) to hike in all day and even though they were leather, my feet never got wet splashing through puddles. They were also durable, with the exception that the rubber covering the toe box peeled away from the leather, necessitating a little superglue. Otherwise, excellent boot.

This is the second pair that I've had. They break in a little hard, but it's worth it. We packed into the Absoroka Beartooth Wilderness, eight miles last week. The boot performed wonderfully, it’s stiff enough that you can barely feel rock under your feet. The toe is ridged enough if you stub or have to kick in you don’t pay the price for doing so.

I am 225+ pounds with a really wide size 12 foot, when I first tried them on they felt tight, but I needed a heavy duty boot and it was all that was available at the store. My first hike with them was kind of miserable as I got blisters, I then got custom foot beds and next hike was better. I used the custom foot beds for about a year then they wore out so I put the original footbed back in, I was really surprised because they were way more comfortable. After 10 years of hard abuse and 4 replacement soles I had to retire them, I cried they were the best most comfy boot I ever owned. I highly recommend them to anybody.

Stability and traction are great. Even on slippery rocks I never felt concerned. Yet, I’ve only put 20+ miles of hard mountaineering trails on them so far over three small trips and they still haven’t broken in fully. Be prepared for blisters during the break in period. But don’t let this discourage you from considering these! I’ve owned several “other” brands and while they took short time to break in, they never performed as well as these boots have.
A few quick happy surprises the boot description doesn’t provide. These boots have ball bearings in the lower lace-loops, which allow for smooth tightening, and a locking lace-loop at the top of the foot, before the ankle lace-loops. This is so nice, because you can tighten down the boot in two stages without having to maintain pressure on the laces when you’re lacing up the ankle ties. A simple little pleasure goes a long way in the field! Thanks.

Great boots! I'm using the Makalus for wildland firefighting. Side hill, steep terain, snow, mud, ash and long hikes these boots will hold up. Best of all they are extremely comfortable on the feet.I had no other choice but to break them in in the field. A little sliding and rubbing on the heals but heal insoles took care of the problem. Would prefer vibram soles. Maybe design a boot specificly for wildland firefighting. Business would boom!

I wear orthotics and breaking in new mountaineering boots in the past has been a long and painful experience - complete with boot stretching and burnishing. Not so with these boots! After only one 5 mile off-trail hike and one day of snowshoeing in them I apprehensively wore my new Makalu's on a long and arduous weekend mountain adventure involving carrying heavy loads over a mixed route with a lot of deep wet snow. They were great on the approach - handled my step in cramps with no problems - and I wasn't limping at the end of it. Warm and toasty - no leaks - comfortable and all with only maybe 12 hours of break-in. Nice....!

BT in Reno

After researching mountaineering boots and asking the advise of a sales person I am disappointed with how cold my toes get if I'm not constantly active. Even at temperatures of 25F it takes no time at all to get uncomfortable.

On a positive note, the fit is excellent and the stability on steep, hard packed snow is better than expected.

As an electrical lineman I am in my boots all day climbing poles and walking on uneven ground. I had purchased a pair of LA Sportiva Lhotse boots for climbing and loved them. They were a little hot so I also bought the Makalu for summer work and I havent worn any other boots since then. As a Lineman your feet take a pounding but with these boots I go home at night and my feet feel good. I can't wait to take these boots to the mt. this fall for hunting.

I've done over 70 trips with these boots and they're still going... highly recommended.

Great boot with nice insulation feature. I used the on Mt. Rainier in Sept. and enjoyed them very much. The great thing about these boots is that I got them the day before we left for Washington and I did not get a chance to break in.
But they work out great!

This is a great boot - lightweight and very comfortable right out of the box. The only area in which they did not measure up to my needs was cold weather. When I say cold I am talking single digits on either side of zero. For this I had to move up to the La Sportiva K4S boot. Similar in price (some places) but heavier and a longer break in period. If you plan on keeping your activities in over over 15 degrees F conditions the Makalu is all you need. Otherwise look at the K4S. Both made by the same Italian craftsmen at the foot of the Dolomite Mountain Range

I have been trying to find a rugged boot that didn't give me blisters for 3 years. I am breaking the boots in for a four week trek to Nepal in the Fall. My first hike was a 10 mile and the boots fill great. Thanks to the BackcountryStore.com for carrying a product that I can't find at the local stores.

Makalu's are less stiff than Nepal Extreme so better for approaches and general hiking. They work well with crampons. La Sportiva boots seem to be best for average to low-volume feet; some say they run narrow but I say they provide a good snug fit. Very comfortable after brief break-in, less than five miles and they felt great. Be sure to apply waterproofing. The locking D-ring on the lower laces is a great feature; smooth lacing action. Adjustable tongue allows semi-custom fit. Stock footbed is ok, aftermarket footbed may improve comfort. The sole grips well on rock.

I really like how stiff it is and how solid the sole is. I have used it for ice climbing and mt. rainier and it has done super! I have seen some wear on the laces that came fast, so definitely get a pair of those. The quick lock system on the buckles are soo nice for really getting it tight.

I picked up these boots about a month ago and so far, they are fantastic. With only one day of break in time I summitted Mt. Moosilauke in NH with no pain or hot-spots.

This boot is really nice. It took only a few trips to break in. For short mountaineering trips they killed it. On some of the longer trips they gave me a little trouble. I definitely suggest getting some footbeds for these bad boys. I've got some gnarly blisters, but footbeds made a big difference. I slipped in a river in the middle of winter camping and my feet stayed warm and comfy. Wow. Great boots, I like boots.