i spend most of my free time hiking around in the southern nevada desert. the environment here is extremely hard on footwear. the rocks are jagged and razor sharp and stepping on cactus is almost unavoidable. i have been through many types and brands of boots over the years and have not been able to make a pair last more than a year or so. i bought these boots a couple of months ago and have about a hundred miles on them. the reviews are correct. buy them a half size bigger than you normally wear. they are stiff but break in readily. after getting used to the extra support it is more than welcome. ive already punished them and i can tell they are tough and resilient. they are relatively light but offer excellent foot protection. over all i think these are the best boots ive ever owned and expect to get several years of good comfortable service from them. furthermore they look frickin awesome! backcountry's service rocks too (bought the wrong size at first and the return/reorder process was pain free).

After one field season in the Argentine Precordillera these boots are still in great shape. Durability is what I wanted, and is exactly what was delivered with these boots. In addition, the break-in process was relatively short and pain free. I love the lacing system on these boots, very responsive and really locks in my foot when I need it. The sole is quite durable and is great for kicking steps into steep scree covered slopes. Some brief dunks into shallow mountain streams confirmed the water resistance, and the roughout leather uppers still look untarnished (considering most of the foliage is drenched in spines). My only complaint is poor ventilation, but this was not a surprise, rather a trade off for an excellent pair of durable and solid boots. Lastly, my feet were incredibly supported with a ~50lbs load in my pack walking on uneven and often steep paths (thanks Guanacos!). I have previously used inexpensive light-duty backpacking boots (Asolo, Montrail, etc.) and after using these I can't imagine going back unless my field work takes a turn for benign and equable environments (not likely).

I bought this boot after reading a number of posts and rave reviews from others. I was in the market for a boot for mixed mountain routes, but something lighter than say the Makalu boot. The half shank sole on this boot provided just the right balance that I was looking for. It is stiff enough for hybrid crampon use, but flexes enough to be used for a supportive backpacking boot as well. I wore the boots a couple of days for break-in and then hit a trail just prior to a snowstorm. The boots performed well both on trail (mixed) and on return through 2 feet of snow. One suggestion is to ditch the insoles on these boots as they provide little to no support. I ran the Sole Dean Karnazes heat moldable insoles. These made a significant difference to how the boots felt and the have about the same padding as the originals so as not to take up any of the toe box's volume. Overall, I am very excited to put some miles on these boots.

After 2 winter seasons I still love these boots--Super comfy and warm. Great stability. I've put a ton of Catskill and Adirondack miles on these and they are still in great shape--Keep 'em clean and spray on fresh coat of silicon and you're good to go.

Great boot---comfy right out of the box-used them on a 10 mile traverse of the Blackheads (Catskills) Lots of ankle support--haven't used them w/ crampons yet

I bought these boots for WildLand Fire Fighting, they took no time to break in. I wore them just last week for the first time on a fire and I loved them. My feet did not hurt after a 14 hour day on the line and no blisters. I am glad I invested in these boots!!!!!

I have now had my Glacier's for a week here in Afghanistan. Outstanding boot! An average day is humping a 30 kilo ruck at altitude on rock, scree, ice, and snow. Then turning around and going south with 115F temps on near vertical shale. This boot has excellent ankle support and NO break-in time. I was amazed. Good boots mean life or death for me and my team—these boots perform.
My only suggestion is that I would like a lug sole option.

These boots acceptable. The construction is excellent, typical of La Sportiva. However, I have to say that the warmth and water resistance leave something to be desired; even for leater boots. If you are looking for a rugged trekking boot, these are great. I would look elsewhere for a general mountaineering boot.

Excellent boot for foul weather. I use them for search and rescue work in Oregon. After a very short break-in, wore boots for all day training mission in a daylong downpour. Feet stayed dry and warm. Boot is very sturdy and stiff soled, but now uncomfortable to wear. Would recommend sizing down 1/2 size using Nike] as a reference. For reference, I bought a 45.5 for my normal Nike size 12.5.

I have tried both these boots and they are awesome for wildland firefighting. They are super comfortable and side hill a lot better than whites or nicks. They are light and the break-in time is less than a week. The size seems to run a little big, and they are hotter than typical fire boots, but these are the best boots for wildland fire out.

These boots are great. I have used them in a variety of situations and the only problem was the tongue inserts. They require a bit of repositioning to get it right, but any boot will require some break in period. Other then that, The are awesome. I have used them for hiking, snowmobile and snowshoeing. My feet never got cold or wet. I wear them everyday for work. However, they are not designed for firefighting. Hot ash eats them up. A friend of mine also has a pair and the toe rand came unglued after one week. Great for burning in fall and winter but not on the line. Hope this helps.

This has been a newly approved boot for fire suppression and Rx burning so I figured I would test it out. So far a great boot! They break in a little quicker than a pair of nicks or whites. The tops of the boots are great for people with large legs or ankles not so good for us on the slim side. Overall they are great I wear them everywhere. Great ankle support!!!!!

I used these boots on a climb of Mt. Shasta in May, 2006. They held up well and my feet were warm with a pair of liner socks and Thorlos Mountaineering socks (pretty thick wool). The boots have a good amount of flex due to the half shank. They fit my foot well (I am an average to wide) and gave me no hot spots or blisters. I treated the boots with some Nikwax before running through the slush and wore them around town for a week or so to break them in. I am pretty pleased with the Glaciers as hiking/light mountaineering boots.

These boots are very comfortable and I haven't even put replacement insoles in them yet. My Grivel air tech crampons lock onto them rock solid. I am a 5'9 240 pound guy so I put stuff to the test. These were a perfect match for scrambling around on frozen waterfalls carrying a pile of expensive camera gear.

These boots are tough! I walked around in a blizzard with them for a week and didn't get wet at all, this was before i coated them with Nikwax. Then went on a 40 mile trek after that through mud, rocks, hills, snow. No hot spots or blisters at all. New-matic crampons fit well. These stiff backpacking boots (or slightly flexible mountaineering boots) are versatile and comfortable for whatever job or adventure you're on!

in the past few years i have seen a huge increase of wildland fire fighters using these boots. why you may ask? well.. they are far more comfortable than a leather boot, they are about 1/2 the price of a danner or pair of whites and they are lighter! plus you dont roll your ankles in these compaired to a normal leather boot.

only problem i have seen is the rubber toe begins to come off if you stand in hot ash. other than that excellent boot. i think on my next pair i am going to have that part professionally stitched down. ill rate it an B+

Best footwear I have ever purchased!
Totally worth the price. I wore them the for an afternoon the day they shipped in and went on a 6mi hike the next morning throgh dirt, mud and snow. Comfortable as heck, no breaking in neccessary and my feet stayed as dry as can be. Awsome boot!

Had my La-Sportiva Tibets for 3 years until they practically disintegrated from over-use. So I went for a heavier boot this time but trying to keep the same look&feel. These boots felt comfortable the moment I put them on (La Sportiva have yet to disappoint me). They're tough as hell which is great for heavy backpacking activity. no real break-in needed. Gets pretty hot in there in warm weather, but they'll protect your feet superbly during those long treks. I really like them.

Bought these for the wildland fire season and they may not be npfa certified any longer due to the height. But if you are looking for a great outdoor adventure boot these are great. i have hiked many miles in tons of different environments all over the state of Utah and they are great. almost no break in period.

By far the best boot I have ever owned. I have had them about 6 years and they still have good support on side hills. The soles hold up very well. Hiking up steep terrain is a breeze and coming down is not bad either. The sole has good down hill breaking ability built into the heel piece, IMO. I wish they were water proof and I don't like the design of the lace holder (where lace threads through black/yellow nylon strap) It is wearing thin. Not sure what to do when that breaks because the rest of the boot is still in great shape. I use them mainly for deer/elk hunting. I have packed out many animals/camps in these boots and they have held up great with the extra weight I have put on them, (over 100 pounds at times)

took em out for 30 miles as soon as i got em and they performed beautifully. super stable in talus and scree with a heavy pack! hats off to sportiva

Since I rely heavily on reviews, I thought it is about time that I contribute one of my own. Just bought these boots for some hiking/mountaineering. My impressions so far: Out of the box, they are fairly comfortable. I threw in an old pair of running shoe insoles and now they are amazingly comfortable. I had them out in <0deg F and my feet were toasty. The lace cleat midway up the boot is great - and can fix my BD Sabretooth crampons with no difficulties.
The bad: well, so far these boots have served me well so I can't say too much here - The two boots were a slightly different colour (strange). Overall - two thumbs up.

This is the ideal mountaineering boot for narrow feet. Be aware that La Sportiva shoes and boots typically fit small, and this is no exception, so order it a half size larger than normal.

Have had these boots for approx 5 years. My feet are very hard to fit and with these boots I can backpack without blisters. They have worn very well. The seventh eyelet from the toe is a cloth material and only recently have ripped on both boots but again its been 5 years. I am now looking to buy my second pair and hope they are still make in Italy.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of the Glacier Mountaineering boots. I use mine on a variety of terrain and conditions. The sole on the toe did begin to pull off after two years, but Backcountry replaced the pair at no extra cost to me. I have chicken legs as well, so the uppers come almost completely together, but they are still comfortable. They have been up volcanos, through the wet tundra of Alaska, and from the East coast to the West coast of the United States.

I bought the Glacier Boots for wildland firefighting. It's not the perfect wildland boot, but it SMOKES my old pair of Whites. They are extremely comfortable and easy to break in, plus I don't roll my heel and walk bow-legged anymore. Hopefully Sportiva will produce a tailor-made fire boot in the future (lug sole, stitched sole, 10-inch height).

Very comfortable. Short break in. Described as a heavy duty backpacking boot to mountaineering boot, but I disagree. This boot isn't much more heavy duty than my last pair of backpacking boots (Asolo leathers). I noticed that the rubber covering the sole/upper interface began delaminating after minimal use.

I have not been on the fire line yet with these boots but they feel excellent
on my feet. the only concern I have is
how the glued on soul will hold up in the heat. I think this boot would be a
great seller to wildland firefighters if
they had a stitched on vibram soul with kevlar thread.

A very rugged and sturdy boot. Still in the breaking in process, so I cannot give a detailed review on this product yet; however, the construction and materials seem to be quality. I have replaced the insoles which give better arch support, but one should probably do this anyway, for most boots. I definitely like the shoestring versatility when cinching down the boots. It allows room and snug fit where you need it. All in all a great boot! Great price! Thanks again backcountry.com! I am looking forward to my first muliple day/mile hike with these boots. They are waterproof also (goretex), but you might want to supplement that with some nikwax or similar.

For the most part I have found this boot to be good. Seems to have rugged constuction (only time will truely test that). There is really only one thing I was dissatisified with, and the problem has corrected itself. If you don't spend a few good weeks breaking these boots in, and you attemp a semi-signifigant incline, the footbeds will slide on you (espically on the downhill) causing you get get blisters if you don't correct the footbed as needed on the trail.

My feet do tend to get cold easily, but in this boot with wool socks on and a little snow creeping in the back of my boots, my feet still stay warm as long as I am moving.

I don't necessarly believe the price is entirely worth it but again only time will tell. Between the footbed issue (even though it is better now), the price, and the question of durability still to be answered, I give it 4 stars.

I've had these boots for over 4 years now and they have performed very well as an all around mountaineering boot. The Pros are... Very very durable, stick to rocks like a mountain goats hoof, work well with crampons, they keep your feet warm in freezing temperatures (with a Gobi Liner, thick Cold Weather Sock, and a Vapor Barrier Sock if its really cold) but can also be worn in warmer temps without over heating your feet, and they keep your feet dry in wet conditions. The Cons are... 10 to 20 hour break in period, heavy boot weight decreases endurance, and my biggest gripe about this boot is the poor ankle support. I'm not able to get these boots tight around my ankles and my lower leg. I'm able to fit 2 to 3 fingers in between my ankle and the boot and that has always bugged me. I'm 6'4" and 185 Ibs so I have pretty skinny legs so this little problem may not be as big as a deal for the average person. Overall, a very good all purpose mountaineering boot. Just be sure you like the fit. I'm going to try the La Sportiva Lhoste GTX for my next boot. It looks like it has a little more upper ankle support.

great book, excellent fit, wears fantastic, not waterproof leaks like a sieve. Does it ever take the terrain even with heavy loads.

The boot does well with loads, technical terrain, and even easy to moderate alpine ice. It was not designed for firefighting and it becomes obvious after walking out of a hot ash pit. The glue doesn't stand a lot of heat. I would recommend them for heli-slack and engine slugs but not for hand crews with limited water.

I tried to break these boots in for two days with no luck. Just too stiff and probably too much boot for what I was looking for (i.e. hut tours, approaches with skis on my back). The tongue insert is also a bit unusual and I couldn't get it to fit right. But, feet are unique and it just could be this particular boot wasn't a good fit for me. All the other reviews seem very positive so keep that in mind. Returning them was a snap!

Can't comment on mountaineering use... which is, of course, the intended design. I wanna help out all prospective buyers for wildland use and tell you that they've not worked out too well. Not enough shin binding to support well going downhill; lots of extra muscle to make them go uphill, too, IMHO. Put the White's back on after three weeks of trying these out and never being happy with them. I'll put them back on come winter and give it another shot. Again, probably great for their intended design. Cheers, Lincoln