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What are the important points to consider before buying mountaineering boots?
When choosing mountaineering boots, consider the following factors:
- Weather and environment in which you will be moving: what makes your footwear reliable and comfortable?
- Length and technicality of the routes: in complex terrain, it is important to have a technical, high-performance boot.
- Cold weather and snow: Will you be using crampons or snowshoes?
- Stiffness: especially if you are a beginner, it is preferable to wear softer footwear.
What are the 3 types of mountaineering footwear?
- High-mountain boots: high-tech and thermal, suitable for high-altitude mountaineering and Arctic traverses.
- Boots for technical mountaineering: often combined with automatic crampons, they are used for ice and modern mixed climbing, goulottes and high mountains.
- Boots for classic mountaineering: comfortable and reliable, ideal for vie ferrate and alpine hiking.
What is the difference between mountaineering boots and trekking boots?
Mountaineering boots are highly technical footwear, suitable for dealing with hostile environments, icy terrain and cold temperatures. Trekking boots, on the other hand, are products that allow walking in the mountains, often on a daily basis, where comfort, stability and lightness are keys.
How should mountaineering boots fit and what size should I buy?
To guide you in your choice of size, consider the following:
- Consecutive hours of wearing the boots: if the size is what you’d wear for your trainers, for example, could it be annoying on descents? Make sure to consider the natural swelling of the foot.
- Freedom of movement, protection and comfort: these will vary according to the shape of your foot.
- Lateral pressure and foot firmness: on technical terrain, the foot must be at one with the mountaineering boot.
How rigid should the boot be?
The most technical boots have a sole that is almost totally rigid to match crampons on rock or ice verticals. This, however, makes walking less agile and more stressful, unlike semi-rigid boots, which are the best choice if you are not engaging in highly technical challenges.
Is weight important when it comes to mountaineering boots?
The weight of the boot should not be a major factor. Rather, it is important to weigh up your choice according to the technical characteristics, meaning a heavier boot is not necessarily a more reliable choice for you. There are specific technologies used for light, comfortable, yet reliable, structured boot.
Care and Maintenance
Prolonging the life of mountaineering boots is as important for us as it is for the environment. In order to do so, it is essential to continuously and carefully maintain them, as well as employing some small tricks that you can find in this article. La Sportiva also has a resole service that is always available to restore your boot to its optimum shape.
Which mountaineering boots should I choose for via ferrata climbing and why?
It is widely believed that hard boots are optimal for via ferrata climbing. However, although they provide good support, these shoes do not have technical characteristics suitable for rock climbing, and thus wear out in a short time. We therefore suggest a softer and more supportive shoe that is more specific to via ferrata climbing.
Is there a difference between men's and women's mountaineering shoes?
From a technical point of view, there is no difference between men's and women's mountaineering boots. Rather, your choice should be based on elements such as the shape of your foot, external environmental factors and the characteristics of the route that you will take.
