Mountaineering Boots And How To Select The Right Ones
Shopping for hiking boots can be a daunting experience for newbies. The first thing to be sure of is whether you really need correct 4 season hiking boots. Many store aides and inexpert hikers accept that the sturdier the boot is the better it is for all conditions and make the mistake of buying a mountaineering boot for hiking with a backpack or over steep trails.
The truth is nevertheless , that mountaineering footwear aren't actually suited to long hikes because they contain a long shank that's typically made from steel right along their length. This is to make the boot stiff enough to hold crampons and for climbing on steep ice or snow. But it is a killer on feet if you are just planning to hike. So please do yourself a favour and do not buy full mountain boots if you wish to go hiking.
The next thing to ask yourself is what kind of mountaineering plan on doing. If you are thinking of getting into vertical ice climbing then you would like a actually rigid boot that can hold correct front-point crampons. If you instead plan to do fast Alpine style ascents where you climb a top for a day and come back down again at night then you'll often be more than pleased with an excellent pair of climbing boots. Dependent on how high you are counting on going and how cold it'll be will decide whether you need insulated boots or merely thick leather.
If on the other hand you are climbing one of the high peaks and planning on an expedition lasting a few days then leather won't be warm enough. Worse, it will wet thru after a day or two in the snow and will leave you with cold, wet feet. That can lead to frostbite. So for these kind of expeditions you need to take a look at a double boot, preferably with a plastic outer.
Double boots like the Scarpa Omega have an inner foam liner that comes out and can dry out at night. The inside keeps your feet warm while the hard plastic outer keeps them dry. If going somewhere truly cold, such as Everest, then you also need an insulated gaiter that fits over your mountaineering footware to provide additional insulation.
To read more about mountaineering gear push the links to find articles and reviews of mountaineering gear and climbing boots like the Scarpa Omega.
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