boots vs plastic boots

I want to know what people do with there boots that don't have a liners to put in the sleeping bag. do you just put on your frozen boots and deal with it?

Boots go in the bottom of the sleeping bag.

I was hoping that wasn't the case..... damn things are gonna take up some room,

You talking single leathers, I'm assuming.

My experience is mostly multi-day trips in the Sierra. Taking care of your feet is an all day affair. Try and knock the snow/ice buildup off the laces/top part of your boot as the day progresses - don't let it buildup and consolidate.

Vestibule of the tent is your friend at the end of the day (if you have one). Again, bang out your boots as best you can, brush the laces out and try to clean off the ice as much as possible. I've yet to stick my full boots in my sleeping bag. If conditions are that cold, in my opinion, you should be in double boots anyway. Bring the boots in your tent for sure, if you place them between your body and your tent mates, they'll stay warmer. Good spot for water as well if you aren't insulating it otherwise.

They aren't going to be toasty when you put them on in the morning, but you're in the mountains in the winter...also, put your fresh socks against your skin for a bit so they can get nice and warm before you put them on.

Ok, so I got a new pair of Scarpa MONT BLANC GTX
im wanting to do Mt. Rainier and Hood and such in these boots.

Did I mess up and not get a double boot? Should I work on getting one? or will this boot be ok?

Ill be in probably 10-20 degree weather at times. I had some asolo plastic double boots and loved that I could take the linear out.
I wear a size 48 so its not easy at times to find a good boot.

alex59195 wrote:Ok, so I got a new pair of Scarpa MONT BLANC GTX im wanting to do Mt. Rainier and Hood and such in these boots. Did I mess up and not get a double boot? Should I work on getting one? or will this boot be ok? Ill be in probably 10-20 degree weather at times. I had some asolo plastic double boots and loved that I could take the linear out. I wear a size 48 so its not easy at times to find a good boot.

Those boots should be fine if you're doing runs on Rainier and not in the winter. Just take care of your boots like I described. If you plan to do week-long trips in the cold in the cascades, doubles would probably make more sense. Long weekend summer runs - you're good. If you're put off by putting your feet into boots that are a little chilly in the morning, perhaps you're in the wrong sport ;) Have fun and climb safe, mang.

EDIT: one last tip - take your insoles out and toss those in your sleeping bag, helps a bit as well.

well, sounds like I need a plastic double boot then....
Ill be specifically climbing in winter and snow.

alex59195 wrote:well, sounds like I need a plastic double boot then.... Ill be specifically climbing in winter and snow.

No offense, but if you're trying to tackle winter climbs on Rainier, and you hadn't considered that you'd need a double boot, I don't think you're ready for a winter Rainier run. It's a beast in the "on" months. How many times have you climbed it already, or other similar glaciated peaks?

EDIT: Just saw your other post about boot advice from a while back. It's tough with those giant feet to find good boots that fit, but if you've got eyes on Denali eventually, and winter-lulz on Rainier, a double boot like the Baruntse or something similar would suit you. I'd imagine, either straight up, or with an overboot, Baruntse are a decent denali choice (and they make them big). My friend has huge feet, and has them - doing aconcagua/other south american peaks in them currently. The leather boots you bought are good for warmer cascade trips, or winter stuff down here in the Sierra.

Yea, pretty new still. I joined a mountaineering club last year and we did a like a test run on a local ski mountain over night and another time actual climbed a peak. got down to 14 degrees I think at times. Graduation climb was mt. Athabasca in Canada but I didn't have a passport in time to make it.

yea, its embarrassing it didn't click that I needed a double boot. I kinda just figured mountaineering included cold temps and when reading reviews, seeing " used to climb rainier" made me think it was good for that. Then when I was thinking about keeping them warm it just didn't make sense and now I know why.

I guess I got my terminology and understanding of things a bit weird. But good now:)

The other issue is I didn't want to get to much boot. I think im gonna look at getting the Scarpa Men's Phantom 6000 Mountaineering Boot .

taking the class again this year with a buddy and will be doing mt.rainier after is the idea.

edit:
So looking at the 6000 they only go up to 48's and on amazon people say there small. Which isn't good. So now im looking at the 8000 cause they have more sizes. But would that be to much boot for the smaller climbs?

alex59195 wrote:Yea, pretty new still. I joined a mountaineering club last year and we did a like a test run on a local ski mountain over night and another time actual climbed a peak. got down to 14 degrees I think at times. Graduation climb was mt. Athabasca in Canada but I didn't have a passport in time to make it. yea, its embarrassing it didn't click that I needed a double boot. I kinda just figured mountaineering included cold temps and when reading reviews, seeing " used to climb rainier" made me think it was good for that. Then when I was thinking about keeping them warm it just didn't make sense and now I know why. I guess I got my terminology and understanding of things a bit weird. But good now:) The other issue is I didn't want to get to much boot. I think im gonna look at getting the Scarpa Men's Phantom 6000 Mountaineering Boot . taking the class again this year with a buddy and will be doing mt.rainier after is the idea.

Dude, nothing to be embarrassed about - this is a very common thing with the mountains. Climbing is fantastic and exciting, the gear rocks, and a lot of people put the cart before the horse (i.e. training/learning/experience before the big trips). For myself, I thought my first trip to Rainier in the summer could be a solo one - tried to get a solo permit for the Success Cleaver, where the only crevasses you'd potentially hit would be on the crater. The Rangers wisely shut me down, and I was a little butthurt. Later, when I tried the Fuhrer Finger with a team, I realized that I would have been in way over my head alone and so early in my career. I wrote the rangers when I got back home to say "thanks" for saving me from myself the year before.

You were smart to try and not buy too much boot, but you'll be smarter if you try and tackle big mountains in the more friendly seasons first before trying winter. You could wear the heavier boot in the cascades in the summer, your feet will just be a little hotter than you'd like sometimes.

Whatever double boot you buy, research what overboots work well with it - you'll probably want something like that when you graduate to Denali down the road.

yea, I don't see myself getting the scarpa phantom 8000. think its probably to much boot for what I need now. ill still be in the snow and stuff but not on denali or anything, and the step down (6000) don't come big enough.

Ill look into the ones you mentioned as well.
Thanks for the help!

Just to make sure your on the same page as everyone else lending advice..

The typical climbing season for the Pacific North West where your planning on climbing is in the summer. I.e. most people climb Rainer in the summer, when it is completely snow covered, in which case the Mont Blanc would work fine. Winter ascents of the mountain are far less common and the temperatures would be much more extreme..

Max is right.

Very experienced mountaineers get their asses handed to them on Rainier and Hood in the winter.

No seriously, like the mountain comes up, pulls off their ass, and then hands it to them.

Summer is the most common time to go up either one of those peaks, although they are climbed year round by some, the smallest number (I'd guess) being during the winter.

Alex - it sounds like the Mont Blancs you own will be appropriate for the sorts of climbs you'll be doing for the foreseeable future. I think you might be jumping the gun by selling them before your first peak. The $ truth is that if you are serious about mountaineering all year, you will end up with several pairs of boots. You have one pair now.

I do have 2 peaks, but 1 was Spokane mt. which I don't really consider. the other was stevens peak. 6,800. was awesome! but cold.

Yea, im getting it a bit more now what your talking about. Lets just say I was thinking winter was summer climbing.

The thing that is gonna bother me is the boots being cold and not being able to keep the liners warm.... my feet get cold more then the next person and I just wanna make sure these will keep my feet warm.

I don't want something that'll maybe keep my feet warm. But something I know will. can I trust that these scarpa's will do well for rainier and hood in the summer months? I hate cold so much.

for big wide feet the scarpa inverno's are flat bottomed and aren't too heavy with the intuition moldable liners. scarpa alphas or omegas are lower volume and a bit lighter, all of these can be found on the forums or ebay for not too much..

hikingdrew wrote:for big wide feet the scarpa inverno's are flat bottomed and aren't too heavy with the intuition moldable liners. scarpa alphas or omegas are lower volume and a bit lighter, all of these can be found on the forums or ebay for not too much..

yeah I just sold my alpha's but they were superlight for a double.

So I was reading and came across this for a guided tour on mt.R

Summary:
When to use plastic boots: •Early season (May and June) and winter
•If you are a First time climber, you should rent them
•If you are a person with compromised circulation or a history of cold feet
When to use single boots: •If you own your own boots and have used them successfully in similar conditions to Mt. Rainier
•During the peak summer season (July through September)
•If you have fit issues (very small, large, narrow or wide feet)

So what I got out of it was that on a scale of 1 to 10 ( 10 being harshest weather and conditions.)

single boots work 1-5
double boots work 3-7
super double boots 5-10

So if I put in a example. If im buying a gun incase I run into a bear and im deciding on what kind I want.

Do I want a gun that might kill the bear? or one I know will kill the bear. That's where im at. Ill sacrifice weight and discomfort to know ill be warm in cold weather. Shit, I pack my -40 bag if its lowest point is 10 or 20 still. I hate being cold.

WHen I did Rainier, I had scarpa invernos and I HATED them. Super heavy and clunky, you feet like Robocop.
Get the 6000s, or these: scarpa.com/phantom-guide
Mont Blancs are better for ice climbing.

Also, if you don't like being cold, I would caution against Rainier in the winter. No bueno.

Yea, I figured out I wasn't thinking of the right season. Ill be up there in the early summer months or later.. not winter for sure.

Yeah I was there in June and had double boots and they were overkill. And they sucked mah bawlz. I have Mont Blancs now and I ice climb in them and my feet are fine, Not the same thing, but if I went back I would just take these in the summer.