Vasque Alpine LT GTX Mountaineering Boot - Men's - 2007 BCS

For the price, these shoes rock! I have been very happy with the performance and my feet felt great after 22 miles on Mt. Whitney. Can't wait to use them in some winter camping later in the year. A little stiff at first compared to a normal hiking boot, but broke in very well and can take on anything you throw at them. Quality seems good. Vibram soles grip like crazy.

I was at first quite pleased with these boots. I have VERY narrow heels and ankles, so finding boots with eyelets far apart enough that when I tighten them down they're not touching is difficult. They were comfortable, snug, and fit great.

That's where the praise ends though. I've hardly used them and they're already falling apart! I've only had them on a couple short alpine rock routes with short approaches and a few short hikes. The grey siding is peeling off like crazy-I hope this doesn't affect the waterproofness. And the rubber where it meets this grey siding is peeling away and I've had to apply copious amounts of glue to stop this and prevent snow/water from getting in there! Also, don't remove the laces unless you HAVE to-relacing them is a pain in the ass. Each eyelet is actually 2 eyelets for some reason, and there's some sort of inner cloth eyelet (I can't for the life of me figue out why) that you can't get the lace back through.

In the end, I'd say these are good boots...if you don't mind buying a new pair EVERY year!

All this being said, backcountry.com DOES have excellent service and went out of their way to set me up with boots that fit me after there was a mix-up on their part regarding sizing.

I was looking for a warm, waterproof boot for Kili and I chose the Vasque. Not sure I would take it to Rainier, but it has been seriously good on hikes and snowshoeing around Taos. Can't wait to try it out in Africa.