winter hiking boots

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dvbl

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I'm looking for new winter boots. For those who hike the White Mountains in winter...
1) What boots do you wear?
2) The best thing about them is...?
3) The not-so best thing about them is...?

Thanks.

p.s. I know it depends on the weather. For this thread, let's assume wet sloppy snow down low, packed snow and ice at the summit, and summit temp about 0-10 degrees F.
 
I have seen a lot of people wearing the Koflach Degree boots, and while I like them, I am more of a leather boot guy for hiking.

I use Danner boots, 800 gm thinsulate, and I love them. They flex well enough for long hikes, mold to my feet, and are stiff enough to allow me to dig steps while climbing.

On the down side I do maintain them fairly often to keep them waterproof and they have no inner liner I can remove for multiple overnights, which is why I use a VBL in those cases.

VERY coimfortable!
 
For long hikes we use Columbia Ice Dragons

For cold hikes and/or overnight trips we use Koflach Degree

The Columbia boots are lighter but we carry strapon crampons instead of stepins

The Koflach boots are better in ice conditions where you do a lot of kicking and take a stepin crampon.

Columbia boots are more comfortable while the Koflachs allow you to custom fit the liner to your foot like a ski boot.
 
Sorel Conquests

I love these boots - they are a little heavy, and you do need to be sure any crampon you are using fits. I use a Petzl Charlet model that is similar to the Grivel G-10 - you cannot use step ins...you may also need a longer bar for the crampon.
These boots are rated to minus 40 and have been very comfortable to hike in.
 
I love my Technica Altitude Plus leather boots. Right out of the box I used them on the Abol Slide up to Baxter. Any snowshoes or crampons work. Warm, even in the dead of winter. And always comfortable.
 
boots

I use Lhostes (sp) made by Lasportiva. Gore-tex lined and insulated with thinsulate. They have crampon grooves and are by far the most comfortable winter boots Ive ever worn. They are not cheap, I paid 335 in CO, but I suspect if there built like my Makalues Ill get many years out of them. I used plastics for many years in the Whites and still think they are viable for the Whites due to there waterproofness and warmth but man leathers are so much more comfortable, I belive my plastic days are over. I have not yet field tested them in anything below 0, so time will tell how cold I can go with them. Lasportive also makes other models that go much colder then mine but there model names elude me at the moment. A vftt climber named carole has them and seems to like them from what she has posted ( I do not know her outside her postings).
 
1) Sorel Conquest
2) Comfortable
3) Can't use step-in crampons

~Mike
 
One sport Massif

Love:
they are insulated - very warm but not too warm
the most comfortable boots I own including lighter weight ones
very waterproof
crampons fit great G-10
the fact they are leather
great traction in mud, snow even decent traction on ice

Hate:
the fact they are no longer made.
everyone keeps telling me I should replace them with plastic :mad:

Keith
 
There are light alternatives!

Depends upon what you're doing of course. Years ago I bought some Salomon Powderspikes at the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. They felt Converse high tops, but warm. Very lightweight and very insulated. I used them with G10's and with MSR snowshoes. Back then, insulated light boots were somewhat of a novelty. I had been wearing heavy, stiff uninsulated boots for winter hiking for years. I got some strange comments and snubbing looks on winter summits, and even some expressions of disbelief. My feet were always warm, dry and very comfortable.

Now I have a pair of what may be Vasque Arctics. They are just a bit heavier and stiffer, but very warm and dry. None of these shoes will take a stiff crampon or conquer vertical ice. But then again, neither will I. My wife just got some Salomons and she simply can't believe what she's been missing all these years. If I ever see a pair of Powderspikes in my size again, I'm going to buy them.
 
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