Alpine Boot Advice!

Peru is near the equator; It's not summer or winter, but rather stormy season and stable season. I went there in August of 2002, and it was fantastic: the weather was stable and the avy conditions had settled down by then.

June is the start of the climbing season, but if that's when you need to go, definitely be avalanche aware. Two separate parties (totaling 11 people) got wiped out in June that year by avalanches, but that was an El Nino year. As my partner and I were hiking up Huascaran, we saw a picket that was twisted into a pretzel and a helmet (empty, thank god) that had recently melted out of the debris field.

I brought a pair of Koflach Arctis Expe, and my partner had a pair of Koflach Degre. They're a pain in the ass to lace up when they're frozen stiff in the morning. During the daytime the warmth was unnecessary. But predawn/alpine_starts at altitude (>5000m), it's pretty frosty. We did Huascaran up/down in a day from the refugio, and a 7-day route on the NW ridge of Chopicalqui, and it was straight-up bitter before the sun came up.

I have no experience with the Triolets, no idea how warm they are. I would've taken my Sportiva K2's for Pisco, but I'm glad I had a warm boot for the bigger stuff.

Trip report:
climbingdreams.net/life/200…

Have fun, be safe.

Hey Doak, I was there the same year but in late June. I remember getting off the bus in Huaraz and the first thing we heard was that 11 people just died. But wasn't that because of el nino season? That was the same year one solo climber died in Chopicalqui.

I might have been mistaken about 11 fatalities on Huascaran, Google suggests that it was 4+3 spaced a week apart.

Nori, yes 2002 was a particularly bad El Nino year. However, Tom Lukas was down there early last July and reported that seracs were shedding on Huascaran between Camp 1 & 2 at unpredictable times. Keep an open ear to local chatter on avalanche conditions, and stick to safe routes if conditions are bad. Pisco is one of the safer routes, as long as you skirt away from the base of the steep face.

Looking at the Triolets, and 5600m as the high end of your plans, the Scarpas sound like they'll be fine; unless you do something stoopid like starting up Pisco at 1am and summiting before sunrise.

One more thing, running shoes were perfect for anything below glacier line.

Hey all,

Rather thann start another new topic, I did a forum search, and I will try and get my questions answered here.

I am new to alpine mountaineering, only experience is numerous non-technical Colorado 14ers. That said, my first high ascent will be a guided climb of Pisco in Peru, at 5700 m. The climb will be in late May of this year.

The summit push will be from moraine camp at ~4950m. From what I understand, the approach to moraine camp should be doable in approach shoes.

The boots I have for my wife and I are, La Sporteva Nepal Evo GTX, and Salewa Pro Guide ( I also can get Pro Vertical), respectively. The Peruvian guide recommended double boot, but pragmatic local friends suggested that a single boot would be adequate, given the summit bid begins from moraine.

The price jump from single to double is substantial, so if I can get away with my current boot that would be ideal. I also want to be able to use these boots at home for all my winter shenanigans.

If you really think I need double, what is a good variety? Any thoughts on the Baruntse vs Spantik?

Any input would be appreciated!

Why all the hate for plastics? They're a bit warm but do the job they're made to do: keep your feet from getting frost bitten! In winter they can't be beat. It's all personal preference I guess, get what fits your foot and what you feel comfortable climbing in. It's not the boot it's the climber!

Chem,

I had posted a few months ago asking about double boots in the cascades. The climate is much different than what you will be doing, but here is my 2 cents. I climbed Rainier and Hood in August of last year in my double boots (Baruntses). I bought them to use there as a jumping board for higher peaks in the future. I think I was the only one in the whole group with doubles. I loved them, they worked out great. The chute on Hood and the cleaver on Rainier where snow free, we were climbing loose dirt/scree and rock, and the Baruntses were great. Did they get hot, oh yea. Did it ever bother me or affect my performance, nope. They dried great at night, and will hopefully take me to higher peaks. Definitely overkill on nontechnical Co 14ers, unless somehow you can get a multiday ascent in the dead of winter. They might not be too overkill on technical 14ers in the winter, not sure if they are good ice climbers?

Check to see if the guide company requires them, or recommends them. If they require them, they may make you rent them.

If it was me (and I'm not you, my feet stay pretty warm and don't sweat that much = stay dry), I'd just do it in a good single like a LS Nepal EVO or Scarpa Mt Blanc GTX. It all depends on the peak, snow conditions, etc. I did a 6000m peak in Peru in full leather hiking boots with strap crampons, and rain shell pants over blue jeans. I wouldn't recommend that combo, but with good socks my feet were fine. There was minimal front pointing to be done, making those boots work well for the objective, although I'd certainly bring some different boots and kit today.

Thanks for the replies so far! Mike Belu brings up a great point, my guides might require the double. It would be a real bummer to lug my singles all the way to Peru, only to find they will not let me attempt Pisco without the double.

Since I've already dropped a lot of $ on high quality singles this Jan, I might just invest in a couple sets of plastics. I've noticed Koflach Degree's going for 99.99 USD new.

I'm assuming plastics will do fine for Pisco, what do y'all think of Koflach vs. Scarpa?

If it is a situation where you do need plastics, my vote would be for the scarpa omega--if you can find them.

I have the Baruntses, which I love, and have used successfully on Aconcagua and Denali, as well as on a bunch of winter outings in CO simply because I don't yet own insulated singles. I haven't used the Spantiks, but it seems the Baruntse are every bit as warm, if not warmer, at the expense of being a bit heavier and clunkier.

All that said, I'm thinking you'd be happier with singles.

From my experience, there are two reasons to want to take doubles:

1. If they get wet during the day (likely from sweat), you can dry the liners in your bag overnight. This is huge. If your boots freeze overnight, that can easily be a life/limb threatening situation.
2. They are generally warmer. I saw generally because some of the singles are quite warm and I'm sure you could find some doubles that are less so.

There are also two reasons to want to leave the doubles at home:

3. Doubles are *heavy*. Even the techy ones (Spantik, Baruntse, etc.) are still significantly heavier than a well-insulated single. That extra weight adds up over all those steps.
4. Mobility. Even simple glacier walking (i.e. french technique) requires good ankle mobility. Actual climbing (WI/AI/M) even more so. Modern doubles have progressed significantly in this respect, but are inherently a ways behind a good, modern single (big difference climbing ice in my Baruntses vs Triolets). I don't have much first-hand experience but I think this is where plastics really suck.

If you're willing to wear different shoes to the moraine camp and carry your boots, you don't have to worry about #1. Your boots (double or single) will stay nice and dry in your pack and will be ready to go on summit day even if they spend the night outside in sub-freezing temps.

I think #2 is really the crux of it for your situation. Personally, I run pretty warm, so an insulated single sounds fine for 5700m. If you have issues with circulation or cold feet, though, you may want the extra warmth of a good double.

If you're ok with singles in terms of #1 and #2 and since you already own insulated singles, I would stick with the singles. If you do want to buy doubles and there's any chance your going to be doing more high-altitude stuff in the future, I'd recommend investing in a proper single (i.e. not plastic).

If you are planning on using singles, definitely check with your company. That said, I would be very surprised if they required them for 5700m.

Also, be sure to evaluate your situation vs your wife's independently. My girlfriend often needs her Spantiks for ice climbing while I'm still happy in my (non-insulated single) Triolets with nothing more than a good sock. Chicks oft run cold.

Good luck!