Hello.

I have been doing some climbing/easy mountaineering for a while, and after being on snow/glaciers for extended periods of time, my raichle montagnas are not too warm or 100% waterproof (even with all the nikwax in the world). So i want to get plastic boots. I would use them primarily for general mountaineering, but i also want to get into ice climbing. What would you guys recommend? I have tried scarpa, vasque, lowa, and koflach. So far i really like the koflach the most. The degree fits pretty well, but i like the fit of the vertecal better. Would that boot limit me in terms of general mountaineering? if so how? Got any other pointers for me? Thanks alot and happy climbing,

eck

-- eckhard mauermann (em44@cornell.edu), January 06, 2000

Answers

If by "like the most" you mean that you get the most comfortable fit, then Koflach is your baby. Plastics can eat your feet and/or shins as fast as ill-fitting leather boots, except that the fitting process for plastics seems to be more of a mystery to a lot of people.

1. Fit

2 Fit!'

3. Fit!!!

4. Sole rocker. Rocker in the sole makes walking in the boots much easier on the shins, ankles, and feet. Doesn't matter for waterfall ice, and may actually detract from rock climbing performance, but for approaches and for general mountaineering this can be key. Scarpas have nice rocker, Koflachs and Lowa Civettas have some anyway, Asolos tend not to have any.

5. Softness of the upper. Some people claim that the material the upper is made of, or more accurately its softness, can really help or inhibit the comfort. This has not been my experience. Plastics are never going to get supple like a good pair of leather boots. Best not to even look for it. They're tanks; get used to it. Also, while there may be some difference in sole stiffness between some of the lighter boots (Koflach Degre, Viva Soft) and the stiffer ones (Scarpa, Lowa, Koflach Veritcal, Asolo AFS 101, etc), if the boot has rocker it won't really matter that much. In general the stiffer, more "tech" boots also have warmer inner boots.

6. Overall bulk and volume. Lowas are amazingly low in overall size, which makes them feel more maneuverable. An interesting point IF they fit otherwise. In general, Scarpas are supposed to fit wide, high-volume feet the best, and Lowas the low-volume foot the best, with Koflach somewhere in between. This is true to a point. I have long, narrow (especially at the heel), low volume feet. Civettas are definitely low-volume on my feet, but not as narrow as might be desirable. I found I didn't especially like the way they felt, despite friends that swear by this Lowa boot. I wish they worked better for me, but they don't. In contrast, Scarpa Invernos, despite being wide and high-volume, fit me acceptably with a little extra padding, and have continued to do so for years. They shouldn't work for my feet, but so far they're still my favs.

Be aware that plastic boot shells are made to cover several sizes, with the intermediate sizes made up by sizing the inner boots, and varying the amount of insulation. One shell might cover 10, 10 1/2, 11, the next shell 11 1/2, 12, 12 1/2...... If you're not quite getting the fit, try to find out what the break is in shell sizes. Ideally you'll have the smallest boot shell possible (these pups get BIG real fast!), but still have toe room. It's also possible (desirable) to optimize the fit with different footbeds, extra insulation underfoot (if there's room), etc. It's like fitting ski boots, which are first cousing to these things. In fact a decent ski shop can be a good resource for adjusting the fit of your plastics. Just be sure you want to keep them before you start the ski shop venture.

If you're getting the best fit from the Vertical, go for it. They may be a little hot for summer mountaineering, but should be manageable. I've worn my Scarpas, with their winter climbing supergaitors still stuck on, summer climbing in the Cascades, and my feet only complained a little. And in winter you'll like the extra insulation and stiffness of the Vertical.

Good luck.

-- Dennis Roscetti (roscetti@execpc.com), January 06, 2000.

hello, i tried a lot of plastic boots and the conclusion is the following= most of people,in france,just like me,consider that the best plastic boots mark is asolo.the new collection(2000,the third type) is like the first collection ,before the benetton period.they are the most supple(like leather)because they are made in pebax-nylon and they are very comfortable.if you can try them ,do it.they are a little bit expensive but that's a very good shoes.

ivan (asolo is not my employer...)

-- (ivan.roglet@netherlands.ncr.com), January 14, 2000.

Plastic boots I believe are the way to go. I bought my first pair about 6 months ago and I would never trade them for anything else. I bought the Koflach Degre and they work for every aspect of my game. For approches I found that I just lace them losely and they give me plunty of flex but they also still have the support and travel for the trail. For the ice, you can't go wrong. They have great mobility and a great fit and feel..

Brent Morrion

-- Brent Morrion (buddym_75@hotmail.com), September 27, 2001.