1 Scarpa Freney 1 6 9 . 9 9Le t s start with something a bit radical. The Fre n e y is constructed onS c a r p as FS last, introduced for the Mescalito (aka El Cap) last ye a r,which makes the boot asymmetrical, concentrating the foots powe ronto the inside edge of the big toe. I used these boots a lot lastwinter and thought they we re brilliant to climb in, feelinge x t remely light and dextrous on the feet. The onlyd rawback is crampon compatibility - the only modelthat fits easily is the new, asymmetric D M MT e r m i n a t o r - any other model re q u i res ve r yc a reful adjustment.

2 Scarpa Cerro To r re 1 9 9 . 9 9An incredibly light boot designed forAlpine climbing built using the samelast as the popular M a t t e r h o r n. T h eless radical design accepts cra m p o n sm o re readily but feels less precise than the Fre n e y when balancing

about on small holds. Generous padding makes the C e r ro To r rec o m f o rtable to walk in and a speed lacing system allows for an easilyadjustable fit. Slightly less technical than the Fre n e y, but more ve r s a t i l e .

3 La Sp o rt i va Lhotse 1 7 9 . 9 9Despite looking like a Friesian cow, the L h o t s e is a well-made boot. T h e

upper is made from treated leather with a Gore - Tex and Dura t h e r mlining that helps keep the foot dry and warm while a fabric

i n s e rt at the back of ankle pre vents the boot fro mrubbing on the Achilles tendon. The sole unit accepts ac rampon easily, but is not quite as stiff as the N e p a lTo p. The L h o t s e is ideal for mountaineering andclimbing to a high level but the bulk of the toe and

the weight would put me off a little on the hard e s troutes. New for this winter.

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62 September 2000 cl i m b e r

G E A R

Putting the boot on Putting the boot on Bruce Goodlad g e t sintimate with leather -boots that is

I can still remember the first pair ofleather mountaineering boots I eve rbought. I had just finished my O-g rades and I had been pedalling mybike round the damp Ay rs h i re stre e t sd e l i vering news p a p e rs, saving hard for myobjects of desire, a pair of Scarpa Mantaleather four-season boots. I re m e m b e rbeing in the shop trying on lots ofd if f e rent models knowing all along that Iwas going to leave with a shiny new pairof grey leather Mantas.

Complete with my new boots, I headedfor Arran for four days walking ands c rambling, a place that I still have gre a taffection for. It is the first place I wa sa l l owed to go on my own, the crag where Ilead my first mountain route and, believeit, or not the venue for my first wintern ew ro u t e.

The reason all these things are stillf resh in mind is that I still have theb o o t s. 13 ye a rs on and a couple of re s o l e sl a t e r, the Mantas are still in one piece.

Despite the label they we re never four-season boots, the cut away heel being adeath trap on snow and the flex in thesole unit only allowing good cra m p o nc o n t rol on easy angled slopes. Despitet h i s, they have served me well and when Iwas deciding what boots to take to Ne p a lfor some trekking it was straight to theold carpet slippers. They dont keep thewater out any more but at 13 ye a rs old Iwouldnt really expect them to.

After surviving a couple of disastro u splastic boot purc h a s e s, you know thestory; having spent a hundred odd quid ona pair of boots you tend to suffer thet rauma of using an entire roll of tape oneach foot in some vain attempt tominimise or at least delay the amount ofpain that is to come. As the inner bootssteadily cheese-grater your feet into re dbloody masses you think There must be am o re comfortable way of going climbing.

The solution was to try somethingcompletely dif f e rent, so I went out and

bought a pair of La Sportiva Nepal To p s.All of a sudden I wasnt spending afortune on tape each week. In fact, theboots didnt even need breaking in, all Idid was put them on my feet and head outclimbing. I would love to say that theya l l owed me to flow effortlessly across acre sof vertical ice just like Jeff Lowe does inthe videos but they didnt. What they didg i ve me was a degree of precision footwo r kthat I had previously only dreamed aboutwhich, combined with the lack of pain,e n s u red that my whole climbing daybecame so much more enjoya b l e.

This may all sound a bit anti-plasticboot and it is a bit, but there are stillplenty of days when I will head for thehills wearing my plastics. The trick withplastics is to try on enough pairs so thatyou find a pair that suits the shape ofyour feet. No matter what anyone tellsyou, there is no chance of breaking in apair of plastic boots - your feet will eitherh a rden to them or be trashed in the

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Neil Stevenson approaching the summit of the Zinalrothorn (4221m).Photo: Bruce Goodlad

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outer providing protection from nicks anda b rasion that may cause the boot to leak.As part of the tanning pro c e s s, somem a n u f a c t u re rs impregnate the leatherwith silicon to add further wa t e r p ro o f i n g .

As with all mountaineering pro d u c t s,you have to think carefully about whattype of mountaineering or climbing yo uwant to do before you even head out tothe shop.

We will assume that no matter whichboot you choose you will want to attach ac rampon to it, this may be to walk in thehills in winter, approach an alpine ro c kroute or to climb a difficult mixed ro u t e.If you are interested in genera lmountaineering in the UK, a bit ofAlpinism and maybe some easier winterroutes you will want a boot that will bewarm enough for a bit of standing aboutbut you will generally be on the movemost of the time. The boot should take ac rampon easily and probably most

important of all be comfortable to walk in.The more curve there is in a boots sole( rocker) the more comfortable the bootwill be to walk in, the pay off is that theboot will not feel any w h e re near asp recise to climb in, this is particularly thecase on rocky terrain. If you are n tplanning to spend all your time on yo u rf ront points having a completely rigidboot isnt really necessary and a slightf l ex will make walking more comfortable.

A flatter sole and smaller toe box willp rovide a more precise feel when ro c kclimbing, this translates to mixed and iceclimbing where greater precision isi n valuable particularly on harder ro u t e s.H e re climbing performance is moreimportant than walking comfort.

Leather boots are never going to be aswarm as plastics, but some do come with aThinsulate lining that will greatly incre a s ewarmth, but take longer to dry if it getswe t .

C rampon CompatibilityAs the design of boots become more ra d i c a l ,c rampon compatibility is becoming more ofan issue. Most of the boots rev i ewed hereh a ve a welt at the toe for a full step-inc rampon, but I will generally use a hy b r i dc rampon (strap at the toe and clip at theheel) to give me the speed of a step-inwithout the worry of a toe bail popping offif there is any flex in the boot. With we a rthis welt will become steadily smaller, soeventually you will need a crampon with atoe strap any wa y.

C o n ta c ts :A k u : 01250 873863

B e rg h a u s : 0191 516 5600B o re a l : 01433 639433

La Sportiva : 01286 872222L owa : 01228 591007

M o n t ra i l : 015396 25493S c a r p a : 0191 296 0212

S a l o m o n : 01256 479555

c l i m b e r S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 0 65

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4 La Sp o rt i va Tra n goE x t reme 1 7 9 . 5 0If you are after lightwe i g h tp recision, this is the boot for yo u .The Trango Ex t re m e is the beefiestof the three Tra n g o m o d e l sfeaturing a toe welt, T h i n s u l a t einsulation and a stiffer sole unitthan the other models. T h eEx t re m e has become the bootof choice for those on the iceclimbing competition circ u i t ,but is it of any use to usm o rtals? The answer is yes - theboot readily accepts a cra m p o n ;the toe box gives great precision onrock or ice without crushing the toes. Combined with thesolid sole under the big toe the Ex t re m e was the best model forrock climbing in the re v i e w, they are even comfortable to wear (Ive justused a pair for three weeks guiding in the Cuillin and they we re superb).W h e re the boot isnt so good is hacking your way across a Scottish bogto get to your route. If you are expecting a moisture problem Id take

something a bit beefier.

5 La Sp o rt i va Ne p a lE x t reme 1 9 9 . 9 9The Nepal Ex t re m e, an insulated ve r s i o nof the legendary Nepal To p, features aThinsulate lining and an insulated foot bedto provide the warmth. This year the boot

has a new adjustable tongue thatcan be re m oved and adjusted to

gain the best fit. The soleunit is completely rigid

and will take anyc rampon and isan exc e l l e n tboot for anytype ofclimbing.

6Mo n t rail Ve r g l as 1 9 0 . 0 0

M o n t ra i l s seriousmountaineering bootuses their I n t e g ra f i ttechnology to hold the

foot extremely well, withnegligible heel lift while fro n t

pointing. The boot features an interesting beech wood boardfor rigidity which still allows a small amount of spring for

walking comfort. Thinsulate keeps things warm anda high moulded rubber rand protects the

l e a t h e r. The only drawback with the Ve rg l a sis that the radius of the toe is quite big so

c e rtain step-in crampons wont fit.

7 Berghaus M9 Extre m 2 0 0

The M 9 is an updated version of theB e rghaus B a l t o ro, fully stiffened with Carbon fibre

and offering a good blend of support and flexibility. The effort re q u i re dto break them in was repaid with excellent performance on all types oft e r rain, including a number of the hardest routes last winter. Its just ashame that they are so difficult to get hold of!

8 B o real Super Latok 1 6 2 . 9 5B o re a l s top of the range leather bootdesigned for high-level mountaineering,m i xed and ice climbing. The L a t o k i sinsulated with Thinsulate and incorporates aDri-line lining that helps keep moisture underc o n t rol. On first acquaintance the upper feelsquite soft which makes them comfort a b l eto walk in, but when tightened they offere dthe best ankle support than any of theother boots featured. An excellent bootfor any use.

9 B o real Pamir 1 4 9 . 9 5The Pa m i r is basically an uninsulated version of the L a t o k, so if yo ud o nt need the warmth and want to save a bit of weight, this might be abetter option. One thing worth mentioning is that although the twomodels are meant to have the same sole unit, the Pa m i r s e e m e dnoticeably more flexible than the L a t o k.

10 Lowa Cristallo 1 8 0Lowa are probably better known for their plasticboots but their leather models are a wort h ya l t e r n a t i ve. The C r i s t a l l o has the mostrocker of any of the boots feature dmaking them extremely easy to walk in,but not so good for rock climbing. Ap ronounced lip at the toe and the heela l l ows secure crampon attachmentand the stiff rand provides ane x t remely stable platform forc ramponning. The rocker onthe sole makes theC r i s t a l l o m o re suited

to mountaineering and routes up to grade 5, above this I would prefer aboot with a flatter sole unit.

Salomon Super Mo u n tain 9 Guide Thermic 1 9 9 . 9 5

Super Mountain 9s a re one of those boots that you either love orhate with nothing in between, the reason for this being the

p ronounced plastic heel cup. If your foot fits theshape of the cup, it will be held in a wonderfully

s e c u re position that eliminates heel lift whileclimbing. If it doesnt, your Achilles tendon

will feel as if someone has attacked it with ablunt hacksaw. Unfortunately I am in the later

category so the plus points on the boot are not mine. T h eT h e r m o is an insulated version of the Super Mountain 9 Guide w h i c hhas been around for a few years now, insulation is provided by aThinsulate lining. The clever double lacing system enables a precise fitand plastic around the toe area allows for an excellent crampon fit. Ane xcellent boot but just be aware when trying them on that the heel cupis more pronounced than it may appear upon first acquaintance.

AKU Extrem 1 5 0 . 0 0Aku are a brand that is not seen that often which is a shame. The firstthing I noticed about the Ex t re m was the weight as they feel incre d i b l ylight. The boots are lined with Gore - Tex, to help control moisture. T h esole unit on the boot is more flexible than the others tested so the boot

is probably more suited tog e n e ral mountaineering

and easy routes ra t h e rthan top end use. c

64 September 2000 cl i m b e r

attempt. After going through Koflach andAsolo I found that Scarpa Vegas suit myfeet, though it would be nice if they we n tback to the original design (the pinkones) as none of the subsequent modelshold your heel as well when fro n tp o i n t i n g .

Plastic boots are warmer and morewa t e r p roof than leathers, but are heavierand more cumbersome to climb in. If I amclimbing in the Alps in winter Ill alwa ysuse plastics, (I like my toes the colourt h ey are) and I still enjoy the ex t rawarmth when cascade climbing on re a l l ycold days. Back home Ill use my plasticsquite a lot while on the West Coast, itbeing that bit we t t e r, so my feet will staydrier and any wa y, plastic inners dry muchfaster for the next day than leathers do.The rest of the time I will use leatherb o o t s, as they are more comfortable towalk in being lighter and more bre a t h a b l eand hence more enjoyable to climb in.

Leather boot design and constructionhas moved on, allowing todays boots to bes m a l l e r, lighter and stiffer than eve rb e f o re. Boots are made using a footshaped model called a last which gives aboot its fit. Dif f e rent shaped lasts gived if f e rent fits and they wont all suiteve r yo n e s feet, so a manufacturer will usea range of lasts depending on the fit andperformance characteristic they are tryingto create with any particular model.

The mid sole of the boot will contro lthe flex of the boot both longitudinallyand latera l l y, this flex translates to howcomfortable a boot is to walk in, how we l lit will edge and whether it will be able totake a crampon or not. Tra d i t i o n a l l ys t iffness was provided by a metal plate(half shank, full shank etc), but modernmaterials allow plastics to be used incombination with metal inserts to create alighter sole unit.

The sole of the boot is what gives the

grip while walking on rough terra i n ,patterns vary from manufacturer tom a n u f a c t u rer but a good rule of thumbwould be that the closer together thecleats are round the edge of a boot theeasier it will be to climb in. The widerspaced the cleats the less they will clogwith mud, but they will feel less pre c i s eon rocky ground. The harder the rubbercompound, the less grip you will get onrock but the sole will be more dura b l e

Modern leather boots look muchflashier than their pre d e c e s s o rs due tobright colour schemes and the suede likea p p e a rance of the leather. There a hugevariety of dif f e rent leathers (Scarpa usem o re than 5 dif f e rent types thro u g h o u ttheir range) so just because they may alllook similar they are not. Most of theboots featured use older, thicker hides(about 3mm) reve rsed, so the denser morewa t e r p roof part of the hide is on theinside of the boot with the suede-like

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