Solid Mountaineering Boots for Mixed Mountaineering

By Scott Pendleton Ranked #330 - Men's Mountaineering Boots April 26, 2010

These are great mountaineering boots for a mix of mountaineering. They work well in the hot, they work well in the reasonably cold. For big mountain expeditions you probably need something warmer, but these will do in everything else. They are very waterproof and stay that way for a long time. My feet stay nice and dry in these.

They are comfortable. I can wear these all day. The fit is good and they're just nice to walk in. They are true to size in that I usually wear a EU 47 and the EU 47 fit me just fine (I find that EU sizes tend to be a lot more consistent than US or UK).

These are also very supportive. The 1/2 steel shank gives very nice support to your ankles for either steeps or for load bearing. They keep my ankles nice and aligned whether I'm bombing down scree slopes or carrying a heavy pack over uneven terrain.

The soles are great. They grip like mad on almost everything. I have a lot of confidence in these boots. The edges of the soles are good and stiff and they hold edges pretty well, too.

Crampon compatibility is ok, if not great. I realize the boot is too flexible for a toe welt, but wish it were there anyway. The heel welt is kind of nice, but sort of unnecessary. In any case I've used these with both "strap" crampons (BD Compact Strap) and "semi-pro" crampons (BD Sabretooth) and they worked fine. Only reason I went away from the strap is I caught a great deal on the Sabretooths; strap crampons are perfectly secure and I used them for plenty of steep stuff with the attachment stiill secure. The heel welt is strong enough to be used, though, so use whatever you like. The boots aren't the stiffest so it is a bit of work to front-point pitches above 30 degrees, and I wouldn't climb vertical ice in them, but that's not what they're made for.

In the durability department, they're doing great. I've had them for three seasons and usually pound them (I do most of my snow and ice stuff in my ski boots; these get relegated to rock duty). They show almost no signs of wear. The soles look almost brand new. If it weren't for the dirt and scuffs, they pretty much would look brand new.

I recommend them as a good all-around mountaineering and hiking boot. A little heavy duty for short day hikes, but still fine for it. As long as it's anything short of a sub-zero F expedition or vertical ice, these things will handle it.

View Details: La Sportiva Glacier EVO Mountaineering Boot - Men's

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